


Paleabrax

by KingsfieldStories



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: A LOT OF HURT COMFORT, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alcoholic!Kara, Alex Danvers & Lena Luthor Friendship, Alex Danvers Knows Kara Danvers Is Supergirl, Alex Danvers Needs a Hug, Angry Alex Danvers, Anxiety Attacks, Drunk Dialing, Drunk Kara Danvers, Drunk Texting, Established Alex Danvers/Maggie Sawyer, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Heavy Angst, Hurt/Comfort, I PROMISE EVERYTHING TURNS OUT GOOD, I PROMISe A HAPPY ENDING DONT GET MAD AT ME, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Kara Danvers & Maggie Sawyer Friendship, Kara Danvers Needs a Hug, Kara Lena fluff, Kara is mentallly ill, Kara is physically ill, Kara!Unconscious, Lena Luthor & Maggie Sawyer Friendship, Lena Luthor Knows Kara Danvers Is Supergirl, Lena Luthor Needs a Hug, Lena and Kara are roomies, Narcolepsy, Panic Attacks, Please read, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Sanvers help Lena fluff, Sick!Kara, Sister fluff, They're a lot in the med bay, Yeah kara is really sick in this one, basically a long hurt/comfort sick fic with a lot of fluff and some drama, even if it doesn't sound like it, happy ending i swear, hospital deo, implied drunk advantage taking?, kara is sick, kind of red kryptonite, not for the lighthearted, possible supercorp, sanvers fluff, someone is being digusting to Kara and Lena protects her, teeny tiny angst, they all need to hug, they're all a cute family who cares for eachother, yeah I think that's enough, yeah i suck at this, you were warned
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-02
Updated: 2019-05-13
Packaged: 2020-01-01 03:56:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 48,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18328148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KingsfieldStories/pseuds/KingsfieldStories
Summary: An unknown parasite makes its way down to Earth. That same exact virus happens to infest itself in none other than the strongest, most powerful individual on that same earth. What happens when the national superhero gets stripped from the streets, and instead forced into a new realm of pain and struggling. Forced into stages, that worsen and escalate the more Kara pushes through them.The different stages were inspired by things such as Narcolepsy, Red Kryptonite and Solar Flaring.The Warning stands as a trigger warning, for things such as Mental health issues, alcohol abuse and panic attacks. Other trigger warnings may be depictions of blood or violence in different forms.





	1. Chapter One: Not Doing Her Damn Job!

**Author's Note:**

> Soooo this is my first fic ever,  
> what do you even write here? enjoy i guess??
> 
>  
> 
> I DO NOT OWN SUPERGIRL NOR ITS CHARACTERS blah blah you know the drill
> 
> ESTABLISHED SANVERS  
> KARA AND LENA ARE BEST FRIENDS / SHARE APPARTMENT / maybe supercorp?  
> BRAINY EXISTS, AS A DEO AGENT, cuz the legion doesn’t exisssst  
> LUCY WORKS AT CATCO, coz I want her to.  
> Other minor changes  
> —————————————————————————— 
> 
> English is not my first language, so please excuse any typos, mistakes or incoherent sentences. 
> 
> ——————————————————————————

Five fingertips met aluminum and rubber of a keyboard, five other met glass as they tapped mindlessly across the smooth surface of her desk. The sun reflected small rainbows in the glass beneath her fingers, but she didn’t see it, she only saw numbers. Only thought of numbers, statistics and calculations. Her gaze locked upon the report on the monitor. That is, until a teasing itch presented itself behind her ear. Unwillingly breaking her focus, the brunette shot a hand behind her ear. Lena spun around, rose from her chair with glass in hand. The sun brightening the amber of the whiskey, making it appear more translucent and making the engraved name at the bottom of the glass more visible. Luthor Corporation. Another swig of the liquor as she pushed the windowed glass-door open, breathing in the afternoon breeze.

National city. A tired sun threw lazy shimmers, only providing light, no warmth. The rays painted the city, reflecting spots of gold that blinded everyone whose eyes met them. Lena squinted and traced the outline of the horizon through the city's many buildings. It never failed to astonish her, the view. Parks, skyscrapers and malls. It was beautiful. Below her feet raced rush hour traffic, cars of all colors speeding past each other. It gave the CEO a sense of superiority, seeing the vehicles and pedestrians so incredibly small below her. They were so many, kids playing in parks, couples waving for taxis and teenagers balancing shopping bags on their arms as they exited the mall. The thought that inside every vehicle, behind every window and inside all the little pedestrians there were personas and characteristics, unique for each and every individual, was a thought that baffled Lena. Individuals with their own unique thoughts, goals, dreams, desires, needs, stories and prejudices. Although the latter seemed be a collective thought amongst the crowds, the damned prejudices of the Luthor name seemed to be something mutual, something they all shared with each other. Prejudices, also known as Lena’s damned shadow. Her surname has and still cursed her, staining her actions and tainted her every move several shades darker without her meaning. The presumptions of her character forever defined by the Luthor name she shared with her adoptive family.

A psychopath step brother, and an equally crazy adoptive mother, Lillian and Lex, both convicted to life imprisonments far away from each other. She had made it her own personal mission, hell - she had made it her life goal, to clear her part of the Luthor name. She had tried everything she could think of, donations, charity work, building a hospital and even volunteered to help repair the houses that were destroyed in the last spring's wildfire. Every damn thing she could think of, to make National City believe there wasn’t an evil master plan behind all her deeds, but it wasn’t enough.

The negative presumptions lingered within the people; the cruel actions of her adoptive family’s etched in their minds, blinding them to believe there was such a thing as a genuinely good Luthor. The persuasion of her goodness had proven to be a challenge, a seemingly impossible one. But Lena was determined. She wasn’t one to give up. She was more than her last name. Besides, she loved a good challenge. The daughter of the Luthor family retreated into the office, low and mechanical clicks of a keyboard piercing the silence that rested in Lena’s office when she began writing again.

/

Kara closed her apartment door with a frustrated thud. _Sent home from work, Rao, let me just add that to my résumé_. She had been arguing with Snapper for not making the deadline she’d already gotten postponed once. Her insufficient work had made Snapper increasingly irritated throughout the week and today he exploded. Kara did try to defend herself in the argument, but to no avail, words failed her, and she stood there, in the middle of Cat Co, like an idiot, getting yelled at in front of the whole office. Kara was furious, disappointed in herself. Underachieving at her workplace wasn’t something she took pleasure in, and certainly not getting yelled at by Snapper. Much less getting sent home. Who even gets sent home? It’s like she was still in 5th grade and disturbed the class, resulting in a call to her parents and being dismissed from class. Childish and stupid.

But this was work, something Kara even dared to say she was pretty good at, and she got sent home. _Like a 5th grader_. She furiously threw off her coat, her stomps dripping in frustration as she fought back disappointed tears. _Great._ Kara thought. _Now I'm acting like a 5th grader too._ The blonde woman put her keys and purse down on the counter. Her stomach rumbled, as usual, and she went to open her fridge only to be met by a single bottle of ketchup, two onions and some butter. With a frustrated sigh, Kara turned on her heel and grasped one of the leather purse straps, holding it open as she pulled her laptop out. Upon logging in to her work account, the white digital clock showed 3:17 pm, which meant that Kara was home two hours early. The blonde woman rolled her lips in, only to be abruptly interrupted in her genuine pout by a yawn as her left fingers found their way to the trackpad of her MacBook. Scrolling through her damned unfinished article, she dropped her head onto her right palm, her cheek slightly smushed by the position causing her glasses to lift obliquely upwards, but Kara didn’t find the energy needed to care. She was disappointed, grumpy, a little sad and tired. Rao, she was tired. But the reporter was determined to prove her worth back to Carr. This article would blow his pants off. She lifted her head up again, blinked her eyes shut once, twice, before putting her fingertips back on the keyboard and started writing again. This time with anger and determination fueling her as she typed away.

After a while of scrolling up and down, removing and adding to the article, exhaustion came creeping. Way too heavy to be able to ignore. Once again, a yawn escaped the tired reporter’s lips as she tried stretching her back out, lifting her arms up slightly in the air trying to shake the drowsy feeling, but it didn’t help. The groggy, heavy feeling grew stronger, surrounding her mind. Kara felt weird; this was a new experience. A wave of calm hit her, and she could feel the unintentional relaxation throughout her whole body. Half her mind paralyzed, the other half frantically trying to figure out what was happening. She felt her consciousness ebbing away, and her thoughts coming to an end and unwillingly, fading into darkness. Her body grew numb, swaying in her seat. She fought, but darkness won. Losing complete control of her body, her eyes closed, and she was inevitably gone under the very short duration of a little less than 30 seconds.

/

“Shit.”

Jess cursed when she stumbled over the legs of her chair, accidentally spilling printer ink all over her hands. Her eyes scanned the room from possible eyes who might have seen her before she rubbed the back of her hand against the black desk. With the efficiency of the method good enough, she fetched the freshly-printed documents from the printer, replaced the empty ink containers with the now halfway filled container. The assistant began striding towards her boss’s office, her eyes scanning the environment mindlessly. When Jess arrived at Lena’s office, she awaited permission to enter before she stepped into the office that could’ve been taken directly from an interior design catalog. Everything was white. The walls, floor, rugs, couch desk and frames of the few paintings that were the only things with other shades from the color spectrum. Jess handed the documents over to Lena, receiving a smile from the CEO. “Kara Danvers latest reports, as you wished, Ms. Luthor.”

/

When Lena finished proofreading the financial reports, she gathered the few papers into a bundle and brought a pencil out from her desk. She needed Kara’s signature on all the paperwork as it was hers to publish, and Lena figured she could take the opportunity to ask for dinner with her friend at the same time. After all, Kara was her roommate of five months and Lena could really use her company after another exhausting day of lots of work. Cradling the bundle under her arm and with the ballpoint pen in hand she exited office, frowning when the sight of a closed door met her eyes. That door was always open. Kara’s door. Lena figured that the reporter probably needed to decrease distractions from her work, her excellent hearing and so forth.

Although much to her surprise, the door was locked when Lena tried letting herself in. Fiddling with the many keys stuck in a ring on her hip, she managed to find Kara’s key. The many privileges of being the owner and boss, having keys to all doors. Upon unlocking the door to her roommate's door, she was met with a dark and empty excuse for the usually bright and active office that belonged to Kara Danvers. Concerned and confused the youngest Luthor exited the room and made her way to her assistant for an explanation. Danvers wasn’t supposed to be out reporting today, and she didn’t have anything else planned today, Lena knew that, as her boss, and maybe as her best friend too.

The blonde had complained early this morning about being stuck on an article she couldn’t bring herself to finish that made her locked up in the building until it was done and published. Lena knew that Kara wanted to be out on the street, interviewing and finding stories but today, Lena was sure Kara was supposed to sit right in that dark and locked office, which she wasn’t. “Where is Ka- Ms. Danvers?” Lena asked when she caught the sight of Jess. Jess searched for the source of the question and ceased her typing when she saw her boss marching towards her in high heels in a quite stressed manner.

“Um, I could check to see if she has reported absence. Ju-just a minute.” Jess couldn’t help to feel intimidated by the CEO who now towered over her shoulder as she searched the database for that new reporter’s information. What was her name? Right, Miss Danvers. Kara. She was that new tall, blonde reporter who always laughed and greeted her on early mornings, always spreading positivity. Kara was an employee to Snapper, who was an employee to Ms. Luthor. Jess had noticed that Lena and Kara had a closer relationship than just professional, but she had kept her thoughts at bay, figuring she wasn’t hired to speculate in her boss’s private life and relationships. Although she might’ve heard the two of them arguing about dirty dishes and vacuum duties one time when Jess stepped inside her boss’s office without knocking once. From that point, after Ms. Luthor's deadly glare, Jess always knocked and awaited permission to enter.

The assistant kept scrolling through the hundreds of names of all the employees before realizing in her slightly stressed state that she could organize the names by first letters. Clicking K, she continued her scrolling until Lena’s hand on her shoulder told her to stop. Lena bent over Jess’s shoulder and pointed on the screen. “There. Wait, she was sent home? How? Why?”

Lena adapted a confused frown and searched for Jess’s eyes. Jess however, avoided Lena’s green, piercing gaze by looking closer on the absence card she’d brought up on the monitor. Jess cleared her throat. “Um, well, Snapper dismissed her, it was half an hour ago. Reason: Not doing her damn job. /Carr.” The assistant stated.

Pondering about what to do, Lena thought of her options. Confront Snapper and tell him he does not get to send her employees home and yell at him for dismissing the most brilliant reporter of them all. Or ignore the matter. _Or…_

“I should go check on her, I need her signature anyways.” Lena said, remaining as professional as she could. “Suree, I’ll cancel your meeting.” Jess replied, smirking on the inside at her boss’s attempt of professionalism, failing miserably to maintain a cold boss attitude as her inner persona bled through her decision.

Jess knew that if she herself was sent home; Lena sure as hell wouldn’t care. At least not care in the way that she would contact her in the way Lena wanted to right now. Lena could just as well fetch the reporter’s signature tomorrow. It was clear the Luthor was concerned and needed answers. Lena cleared her throat as she stood up straight, making sure to hold a good posture when she tugged at the edges of her dress to straighten it out.

It was important that her employees didn’t get any ideas of favoritism, as she knew her friendship with Kara had shone through under a few occasions during work, and it was highly unprofessional. Her bubbly roommate just seemed to crack her up at inappropriate times, and her other employees was starting to get ideas. Not good. At work, they had a formal relationship. Outside however, they could be the best friends that they were. Not bothering to bring anything else but her laptop with her, Lena grabbed her coat and slipped the computer under her arm, keeping a steady grip of it as she entered the elevator.

/

Lena exited her private cab, nodding a thanks back to her chauffeur and stepped out into the autumn weather. She closed the passenger door and shivered as she felt the cool evening breeze against her coat. Lena put her arms around her torso, hugging herself, to try and close off the little pockets against the unzipped zipper of her coat that the cool evening breeze had been slipping in through.

With a few floors left to pass in the elevator, she checked the time. 4:07pm. She took her gloves off and put them in her bag. They were a gift from Kara, those gloves. It triggered a happy memory inside Lena in the elevator. She grinned to herself before ceasing abruptly as she realized there was others in the elevator. As she arrived on the 4th floor, she went to their door, patting her coat pockets for the key. Not feeling any key, or anything else for that matter in the empty she sighed, closed her eyes and shook her head. She’d forgotten her keys in her office. Pinching with her fingers between her eyebrows, Lena knocked on their door, but got no answer.

_Great, just great._

The she remembered something. She turned around and walked down the hallway. Counting her steps. “Five steps to the right, two steps back, a 180 turn and then seven steps straight forward” she quietly murmured to herself as she followed the rehearsed instructions. Lena knelt, sliding a hand under the flower pot that stood to the left and found what she was looking for. The spare key. Hidden under the old neighbor lady’s Hortensias. Lena couldn’t keep herself from doing a little fist pump in celebration and pride that she’d remembered the unnecessary complex instructions on how to get to the new location of their spare key. Lena pressed the key into the lock and turned it to the right.The door gave a promising click and Lena pressed the handle down. She couldn’t help but chuckle at what sight she got met with on the other side of the door, and she carefully closed the door behind her.

She possibly got the answer to why her friend wasn’t at work. Her best friend was passed out flat on the counter, with her back turned towards Lena. The CEO could see her lungs expanding and shrinking with every rhythmic breath and a calm aura emitted from her friend. Her legs were barely on the stool with her right one on the side of it, as if she was about to get up, and the left one as if she was sitting normally on the stool. Her back was cradled to the right, seeming very uncomfortable. The entirety of Kara’s body was unsteady, looked heavy as rocks. Her updo that Lena had helped with earlier this morning had become loose and a few blonde locks had escaped from her golden braid. Kara groaned a little, grabbing the black-haired women's attention. “Kara? What are you doing?” Lena whispered softly, not wanting to startle her roommate.

_Was she sleeping? Jeez. Then she’s sick, if she thought of that as a good-enough position to succumb to slumber_.

Lena was concerned though, her warm smile faded as her face contorted with the thought that it could be something serious that’ve happened when Kara didn’t react, she was usually startled by the slightest of sounds, especially when napping, as that was what Lena thought her friend was doing at the time. Hell, Kara would wake up by hearing the change in heart rate in Lena when she herself woke up. But Lena couldn’t suppress her confusion, it was very unlike Kara to sleep on daytime, it was unlike her to sleep at all as Lena knew her friend always has had trouble falling asleep at night.

The blonde seemed to grumble, as she always did when sleeping but it was highly unlikely that her roommate just decided to nap like that.

Lena had prepared herself that she would need to coax the blonde from not punishing herself from being dismissed from work and being _so_ disappointed in herself, and Lena thought that Kara would be pacing around, stomping angrily. Maybe Kara even would be sad, _but this?_ No, she didn’t think Kara was just going to get sent home only to go home and nap. That’s why a little voice inside the CEO told her something was off. A shiver shot through Lena’s spine as she took her coat off, calling for the girl’s attention again. This time, a little louder, and a tint of worry laced to it

“Kara dear, I’m home,”

“Are you okay? Hello?” Lena tried again.

No answer or reaction whatsoever from her roommate.

Lena kicked her heels off and marched around the kitchen island, so that she could see Kara’s face. Lena smiled in all the concerns. Kara’s eyes were closed, lightly fluttering, and her right arm hanged limp down her side with her hand placed on her thigh, she trembled, like she was playing the piano with her index finger on her leg. The tremors usually indicated a dream of sorts. One of her sleep tells Lena have learned from sharing an apartment with her for almost half a year. Her glasses lied askew on her nose – on the brink falling off completely as the counter pushed her specs towards the ceiling. Kara’s lips were slightly parted, and out came small, soft little puffs and snores. She was adorable. It looked like she was napping peacefully, but the position showed otherwise. What made Lena think that something else was happening than an innocent little nap was the position Kara was in. Firstly, Kara wasn’t the one who was prone to doze off, she was the exact opposite, being the hyperactive woman that she was. But after all, being both a superhero and a successful reporter took its toll, even exhausting someone like Kara, Lena could understand that. It had happened before that the blonde had come home very exhausted, not wanting to eat or do anything except surrender to sleep, but the thing is, even when she was at her most exhausted, she usually dragged herself to the couch or at least used crossed arms as a pillow. But not this time. It made Lena even more concerned and stressed to wake her up.

She examined her again. Kara hadn’t bothered to close her computer screen, move the old morning coffee cup out of the way and her glasses were still on. Even more red flags. A now growing worry surged in Lena's stomach, but when she was growing desperate for contact with the seemingly unconscious woman, she had to restrain herself. _Relax. You don’t know anything yet. Don’t speculate. Just wake her up. She’s just being a heavy sleeper. Like you are._ Lena repeated as her mantra. She had placed herself beside Kara, on the stool in front of her motionless form.

Lena let her hand rest on Kara’s crooked back, rubbing up and down her spine to try and wake her. When she received no response, she went for another tactic, now surrendering to her panic. Kara was most definitely not sleeping. She would've woken up by now. “Kara, wake up. You have to open your eyes now.”

No reaction.

With a shaky inhale, Lena reached out to push a lone curl out of Kara’s forehead, but the sudden touch against Kara’s face caused the blonde to jerk awake. Dozy blue eyes shot around the apartment, focusing on everything and nothing at the same time. She looked confused, misplaced, disoriented with her eyes not even halfway open, dropping close every now and then. Lena placed a hand on her roommates' shoulder but jerked it away instantly because of the way Kara recoiled by the touch.

Something in the superhero's eyes told Lena that she was seeing something that wasn’t really there. “Hey, hey wake up Kara.” Unfocused eyes landed on Lena, looking at her but Lena saw no recognition in her low fluttering eyes. “I swear to Rao if you don’t let Alex go, I will melt your face do you under- “Kara hissed, her mind still thick with sleep.

Lena put her hands up in the air in a confused manner. “Hey, easy, you’re dreaming Kar. Wake up, It’s Lena.” She interrupted. When Kara knitted her eyebrows, Lena took it as a sign she was listening. “Alex?” Kara whispered. “Is safe and at home. You were dreaming okay, hey,” Lena replied as she let her arms rest by her sides. A deep breath was the only response she got from Kara.

“Hey, are you okay? Are you sick? What happened?” Lena asked softly, putting her fingers under the reporters chin to try and steer her eyes towards hers. Kara looked disoriented with a faraway look on her face. Her eyes fluttering dangerously low in her hazy blue eyes.

Every blink was heavy, like weights dragging them down. Kara’s vision was blurry, she couldn’t see anything but a form of someone in front of her. The surrounding colors melted together and just created smudges around her. Feeling like she was behind foggy glass she tried to use her senses. The figure was behind the glass, dampened voice and blurry form. She could hear a voice, and a sudden sensation under her chin. She wanted to jerk away from the touch, but it was gentle, warm. Familiar.

“Lena?” The soft voice was small, hoarse, thick with fatigue.

“Hey, yes it’s me. How are you feeling?” Lena asked, relieved that Kara was talking again. She moved her fingers to the side of Kara’s head, brushing away strands of loose hair and tucked it behind her ear. Lena could’ve sworn she felt a bump behind her friend's ear but ignored it as she figured it must’ve been the frame of her glasses. “Don’t know. ‘m t’red.” She slurred heavily, one word bleeding into the other.

Lena was taken aback by the slur of her so ordinarily well-spoken friend. “Hey, look at me. Were you just napping, or did you faint? It’s okay if you did.” Lena said in the softest tone possible as she knew that it probably leaned towards the latter, if you took away the fact that Kara actually seemed to be dreaming earlier.

She also knew that her best friend tended to feel embarrassed when she passed out, because of her “indestructible” reputation and that she felt like fainting was such a human thing. Lena had been with Kara a few times when she blacked out, most of the times being after injuries, one specific time when she was solar flaring and broke her arm. The unusually painful fracture had been too overwhelming for the superhero and she had rambled like crazy before falling limp against Lena in the middle of the street.

The raven-haired woman then had to deal with a cranky and apologetic Kara after she had woken up, apologizing exceedingly for being a burden. Kara always seemed to punish herself for being even a little vulnerable, like she felt her need of being taken care of was a big bad burden to everyone she knew.

Lena knew this and wanted to downplay the fainting to something that Kara wouldn’t beat herself up about if she did. She was a superhero, and sometimes she faints, like any other good fighter. It happened to everyone; it was normal. Lena just wanted her friend to understand that. She didn’t want Kara’s shame to stop her from telling her what really happened. So, she made sure that the blonde had at least heard her say that it was okay more than once. “Kara,”

/

Kara’s mind searched for an explanation, an excuse, a lie. Something. She didn’t want to admit to herself or Lena that she had passed out just like that. Because that meant a worried Alex, DEO, Med bay, tests, needles and sunlamps. That meant she would be a burden, a distraction for things of more importance.

_Ugh. No thanks._

“No ‘m fe-fine.” Kara’s face pinched in concentration as she tried forming her words as clearly as she could, failing miserably. Lena frowned in disbelief and Kara at the mush that seemed to have become of her talking abilities. “You didn’t answer my question Kara.”

“S’rry, um I- question?” Lena winced at her speech. She could hardly make out the words Kara was saying. “Yes, I asked you if you passed out. Did you? Kara you know it’s okay to admit it. El Mayarah, stronger together. It’s okay.” The reporter’s face blushed, she didn’t know.

Kara had no idea what happened, she couldn't remember a thing. but all evidence showed that that was the case. That she fainted without reason. She rarely suffered from amnesia after a blackout so she was sure that she would remember a triggering reason for her to pass out. And she had no reason really as far as she knew. However, right now her vision was blurry, her hearing delayed, and she had a hard time keeping focus on Lena. _How fricking embarrassing. Pass out without proper reason. How weak are you? Not even humans' faints like that. Without reason and in front of Lena, again. This is the fourth time. E.m.b.a.r.r.a.s.s.i.n.g. Lena must think I’m so weak, so many times she’s had to get me to the DEO and me distracting her from her work. Like a needy little kid. So stupid!_ The toxic thoughts kept swelling in Kara’s mind, kicking herself internally.

“Kara, it’s okay if you did. Talk to me.” Lena prodded gently. Lena both wanted to hear what happened, but she also wanted to examine Kara’s speech. “I-I-I,” Kara shut her eyes and swallowed as she choked on her words. She tried again, still with her eyes closed, using every bit of energy she had. “Don’t know,”

Lena understood that Kara wasn’t going to tell her the whole truth, but she knew Kara, and also understood that Kara hinted that she actually did pass out when she didn’t say a straight up yes or no. Besides, she had all the symptoms for it. Confusion, slurred speech etc. The only thing proving otherwise is Kara’s apparent dreaming and hallucination before. Not to mention the cute snoring.

“I think you did. And that’s okay. Do you know if you hit your head on anything?” Lena smiles softly. Kara lowered her eyes. “no.”

“Okay, let’s lay you down, you still look quite pale. How are you feeling?” “Dizzy.” She answered as Lena slipped her arm under hers, heaving her up from the stool on heavy numb legs. Kara leaned heavily on Lena, her legs were wobbly and unreliable. As they inched their way into the bedroom, Kara suddenly stopped. “Have t’ pee.” Lena was confused but then raised her brows when she understood what she said. “Oh, okay.” They struggled their way into the bathroom. Kara slumping down on the closed toilet seat. “Alone.” The CEO lifted her chin and frowned while she pondered, concerned by Kara’s short answers and absent behavior. “Okay, but don’t you dare pass out on me. Okay? I get if you’re sick that your body shuts down but seriously, don’t do it.” Lena awaited a response but after a short moment of Kara just gazing onto the floor without answering she gave up. She slipped out of the bathroom and closed the door, hovered outside of the door until she heard the ‘clank’ of the toilet seat being lifted.

The brunette paced around before starting to clean the counter of her roommate's stuff, noticing that the refrigerator wasn’t closed properly.

Trying to keep herself occupied, she kept tidying around the apartment, the thoughts of Kara’s weird behavior lingering in the back of her mind all the time. She’s supposed to be back to normal now. She always goes back to normal. Why isn’t she normal? She’s never acted like this before. Why did she pass out? Why is she behaving so weird? An array of questions circled around in her head before she ceased all movement as she saw that 11 minutes had passed since she left Kara in the bedroom. Fearing the worst, she dropped everything in her hands and ran to the other side of the apartment.

/

The sound of Lena banging on the door jerked Kara awake. Looking around in her confusion as she woke up all the way, realizing she was on the floor, laying uncomfortably with one leg bent backwards under her back. Red painted her cheeks again. _What? No, I- not again. How? Why? What’s wrong with me?_

Kara tried standing up, but her muscles betrayed her as she slumped back on her side, groaning slightly as her arm crushed between her body weight and the cold bathroom floor. She tried speaking, but no sound left her mouth, only other noises, grunts and groans escaped her lips.

“If you don’t answer me Kara, I’m going to open the door,” Lena yelled through the door. “Kara!” Figuring she couldn’t do anything about it, Kara waited Lena out. It took approximately 12 seconds before Lena bolted through the door, diving down to the floor were Kara was laying. “Kara! What are you doing on the floor? What happened?! I said don’t pass out!”

Kara let out a series of weak groans before forming a word. “Tir’d” Wincing again at the terrible speech her friend adapted Lena figured she needed to get Kara to bed.

“Okay but- I don’t-Let’s get you up. On three. One, two, three.” She said as she coaxed the blonde into a sitting position.

As soon as she was up, Kara’s spine gave out and she fell into Lena’s arms. The CEO wrapped her arms around her, holding her in a deep embrace. “Okay okay, we can sit. Hey, we need to call Alex. You’re clearly sick.” Suddenly, after all the slow movements, bad speech and weak limbs Kara started wiggling frantically in Lena’s arms, meeting her eyes. They were blank, dry, red rimmed and tears was pooling in her eyes. “No, I- No I- Don't call ‘Lex. Please”

Lena's heart broke at the small and fragile voice. _She sounds like a 3-year old. Why was she acting like this? Why didn’t she want me to call Alex? She always wanted her big sister around when she was sick. Something is wrong. She must be very sick. Argo fever?_

“Okay, okay I won’t. Easy now.” Lena lied. Her plan was that when she’s gotten Kara into bed that she would call Alex when the reporter wasn’t aware. Lena took a new hold around her best friend, putting her chin on the top of her head. The blonde pressed her head in the crook of Lena’s neck and threw her arms around her form.

Lena shook her head gently when Kara took a very shaky deep breath. _What is wrong with her?_

“It’s okay,” Lena reassured, hugging her tightly. They stayed still like that for some moments, with Kara nestled in her embrace, breathing heavily and soundly. _She’s definitely sick._ Lena was certain now, as she knew it took a lot to slow her often hyperactive best friend down. She thought back to all the times Kara had been there for her when she had been feeling unwell and figured the least she could do is repay the gesture when Kara wasn’t feeling great. Lena sat still some more time, waiting and wanting to make sure that her friend knew that she was there for her.

Later, when Lena finally and carefully pulled back, she noticed that the blonde's eyes were slipped closed. Kara’s features were relaxed and again, lips just slightly separated. Soft puffs exited her mouth. Her head was tilted slightly forward, but Lena could tell that Kara’s head was about to drop even deeper down. Kara’s figure was relaxed, wobbly and unstable as she gently swayed back and forth from the breaking of the hug beneath Lena’s touch. Lena took a grip around both of her best friend’s arms, steadying the blonde. Kara really was depleted. “Hey,” Lena put her hand on the side of Kara’s head. “Wake up, let’s get you to bed. You are falling asleep on me. You’re clearly not feeling well. I don’t recognize you.” The reporter's eyes slowly blinked open, accompanied with a yawn. Murmuring an answer, she kept blinking, one eyelid fluttering lower than the other.


	2. Chapter Two: What Dreams Are Made Of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is a shorter one :)

They struggled their way out of the bathroom, Lena practically carrying Kara, 10 minutes and some colorful language from the elder later they had inched their way into the bedroom. Kara collapsed on to the bed, sinking deep into the pillows. Lena glanced at the time, showing 5:04 PM. 

She shook her head and glanced back at Kara, who was, believe it or not, already falling asleep. The Luthor tiptoed over to the youngest Danvers sister, lifting the sheets and putting it over her, placed a pillow underneath her head. Kara let out a sleep-filled sigh and rolled over to her side. Lena sat down on the bed and made a new braid in the reporter's blonde locks. She took Kara’s glasses off, putting them on her nightstand. The braiding of her hair soothed Kara, lulling her off into a deep and exhausted sleep. For the 4 th time today but 2 nd as far as Lena knew.

Lena sat there, next to Kara, rubbing circles on her back as she thought back to all the cute little memories she had with her. They really had become inseparable during the last months, like sisters. She loved her to the moon and back. Kara was her best friend, her first real friend. Lena knew that if Kara was sick, which she undoubtedly was, she needed sleep, food, medicine and cuddles from her best friend. The cuddles because she knew that her best friend sought extreme amounts of physical closure when feeling unwell. Lena, Alex and Maggie all found it very cute when the youngest of them was craving affection.

“Sleep tight, Kara.” Lena whispered before quietly standing up and going out of the bedroom door, closing it halfway before going into the kitchen. Lena sighed. She was worried, she couldn’t suppress the feeling anymore. 

/

The traditional two slaps on her arm was enough for Alex to let go of the chokehold. Agent Smith gasped for air as he stood on all four with one hand drawn to his chest. “Damn Danvers,” he choked out. Alex stretched her back out as well as her arms. “Your pause in momentum leaves you open for a counterattack. You need to keep you head cold and your feet has to work faster,” Alex replied, offering a hand to the defeated agent. “Next!”

Just as Agent Tsoi nervously made his way onto the training pad and lifted his fists, Alex personal phone vibrated in her inner pocket.  Not recognizing the number, she answered as she held up a closed fist in the air, demanding silence.

/

**_ “Danvers. Who is this?” _ **

_ “Miss Danvers - Alex. It’s Lena.” _

**_ “Oh, okay. One sec,” _ ** Alex paused , and Lena could hear her telling the other agents to clear the room .  **_ " _ ** **_ So, what can I help you with?” _ **

_ “Well…”  _ Lena started.  _ “It’s Kara.” _

**_ “Oh my god! Is she okay? Does she need help? Is she there? Is she hurt where is she oh my-“ _ **

_ “Agent Danvers. She’s with me.” _ Lena interrupted Alex rambling. She couldn’t hold back a soft chuckle at Kara’s overly protective sister.

**_ “Sorry. What’s up?” _ **

_ “Well. I think that she may have passed out today, when she was home alone. And you know she gets really shy about it and  _ _ doesn't _ _ want to talk about what happened so she  _ _ didn't _ _ really admit that she fainted but she has like all the symptoms and when I woke her up she was acting really weird and couldn’t speak properly and she was like zoning out all the time and I’m really worried because she should be back to normal but she isn’t and then she needed to pee and I found her on the floor and we hugged and then she fell asleep on me and then she had no strength in her body-“ _

**_ “Lena. Please. Slow down. Now it’s you who rambles. I literally can’t hear a word. Try again. You said Kara passed out?” _ **

_ “Yes,” _ Lena sighed. She figured that it was a fair conclusion. _ “and she’s acting weird, like, really weird. I think she’s sick.” _

**_ “Okay. I’ll have fried rice and Maggie wants King Pao chicken. Dr. Pepper for both of us. See you in 15.” _ **

_ “Wait what _ _ \- “ _

The three beeps coming from her phone indicated that the call was ended. _ I guess I’m ordering takeout then. _ Lena threw her gaze towards the bedroom as she called the restaurant, seeing only darkness but could hear Kara’s low characteristic sleep mumbles and sighs.

/

20 minutes passes. Four knocks on the door. Lena got up and opened and behind the door stood Agent Danvers and Detective Sawyer.

“Hey there, little Luthor!” Maggie greeted, pulling Lena into a hug.

All three women were in their work clothes. All of them left work for Kara. “Where is she?” Alex asked as her eyes couldn’t find her sister in the apartment. As Lena began picking up the food containers that had arrived right before the couple , she started explaining again what she’d seen when she came home, how Kara was acting, her slurred speech and that she fell asleep on the floor. “So yeah, she’s knocked out in the bedroom right now.” Lena finished.

“Unconscious or sleeping?” Alex asked.

A raise in volume from Kara’s slurry mumbles from the bedroom gave Alex her answer. 

“Well that doesn’t sound right.” Maggie pointed out.

“I know, something is wrong.” Lena and Alex said in synchrony.

The elder Danvers settled onto the couch, bringing her takeaway box with her before  realizing she’s forgotten her soda back on the counter. “Mags! Bring my can with you!”

The detective nodded and grabbed her own takeaway box, stacking the two drinks on top of each other in the other hand. As Maggie felt the increasingly unstable tower of soda wobble in her hand, she sped the last distance to the couch, dropping the can just in time for it to land in Alex’s lap. “Hey!”

“Sorry,” Maggie chuckled unapologetically, biting her lip to try and suppress a smile. She also went ahead and dove onto the sofa, slumping down next to Alex. Meanwhile, Lena prepared her own food and brought it with her, and soon all three ladies were settled with takeaway in their laps. Breaking her chopsticks in half Lena cursed as a splinter made its way into her thumb. Both Alex and Maggie raised their eyebrows and opened their mouths in amusement, acting exaggeratingly shocked.

“Uh little Luthor! Excuse me, you said what now?” Maggie said sarcastically playing offended by the  colorful language used by the youngest of them. The façade held for about four seconds before Alex broke, accompanied by Maggie, laughing and giggling. 

“Jeez, what did they put in your food,” Lena murmured as she tried extracting the little piece of wood out of her finger. “Hey! Excuse you again,” Alex started between chuckles and snorts, pointing a finger at Lena. “We both just came from a 17 and 23-hour shift, so we’re both a little loopy,” she stated, finishing with rubbing a loose fist over her eyes. Lena rolled her eyes and managed to pull the splinter out, took a new careful grip around her chopsticks.

Just as she was about to grab her first piece of sushi a low whimper and stressed groan slit the newly made silence. They all froze in place, ceasing all their movements. “Kara,” Alex whispered. The brunette sister sprung into action, bee lining into the bedroom. She pressed the light switch on the way in, and when the dark room bathed in yellow light as the ceiling lamp blinked on she saw her sister curled up on her side in the middle of the bed, and even from the doorframe could Alex see Kara’s tremors and how she shook. The slightest of reliefs washed over Alex when she understood that her little sister was just having a nightmare. Nightmares were a common occurrence for the poor girl, even at 26 years of age. Ever since she was adopted by the Danvers family 13 years ago, she has been sleeping insufficiently, her rest often tormented by nightmares. The Danvers had unofficially diagnosed Kara with severe PTSD to explain her panic episodes and nightmares during the first years with the household, they needed a diagnose to explain to the sisters’ professors at school if Kara broke down during daytime – and PTSD was the thing that sounded most believable, plus that it wasn’t really a lie. When Kara came she was traumatized, and she still was to some extension today. Eliza and Jeremiah had been instructing Alex on how to handle Kara when she was having a nightmare, helping her remember a list of calming techniques and actions to help her then new sister if she had a PTSD episode. The same list was running through Alex’s head right now. 

Kara’s eyes were screwed shut, her breathing labored and fast. In between gasps her sister whispered and rambled, murmuring in what Alex recognized as Kryptonese. Alex concentrated on the low, panicked and sleep filled voice that came from her sister, using the little knowledge she had about Kara’s native language that she’d learned. “Relias no a yuri’que. Yuri’que dunsae. Rao tyrique. Rao, "

_ Something about release. No, something about letting go. She was begging someone to let go. _ Figuring the important part wasn’t figuring out what was happening in the dream, Alex made her way to the bedside.

Maggie and Lena came running into the bedroom, Lena with chopsticks still in hand. “What’s happening? Nightmare?”

“Nightmare . Give her some space,” Alex nodded, sliding onto the side of the mattress. “Kara, I need you to wake up for me, it’s just a dream. Hey,”

_ It was like her heart dropped down to her feet and flew up into her head at the same time. She could hear her heart racing inside her, throbbing, pounding. Her stomach flipped at the sight of Reign holding Lena in a chokehold over the edge of the building. It was all her fault, she should’ve payed more attention. She was such a bad hero. A traitor to her coat of arms. _

_ “Leave her out of this! Let her go! Samantha, I know you’re in there. Please stop.” Kara squealed, begging for mercy. She coughed, the taste of iron prickling her tongue as she spit blood. “please,” _

_ She tried ignoring the fact that she grew weaker each second, the kryptonite chains feeling like they were melting into her limbs. Kara tried standing up, only to fall right back down again due to her legs failing her. She tensed her body, trying to use her heat vision to burn Reign to let her best friend go. But nothing came out. As she tried using her freeze breath, a wheeze was now all Kara could get out. She couldn’t breathe. Panting, she felt her arms being dragged down, as if someone was behind her holding her down. She could hear Lena’s voice calling for her. Reigns laugh cut in her ears and now, she couldn’t breathe at all. She hyperventilated, as dark spots prickled her vision. She was so scared, terrified. “please *cough* stop,” _

She could hear a sound, a voice, talking incoherently, making no sense, far away. Like underwater, that’s what it felt like. The voice just made her head hurt worse, and Kara pressed her hands over her ears to try and block out the constant sound. She curled up with her knees to her chest and flinched when a sting of pain shot through her head, behind her eyes. Ceasing all movement to try and dull the pain, she grew annoyed by the constant blurry speech that reached her ears.  _ Couldn’t the voice understand that she was resting? Couldn’t it understand that it hurt worse when it rambled? _ Groaning, she lifted one eyelid ever so slightly open as horrifying pictures of outer space suddenly flashed behind her closed eyelids, forcing her vision to compete with the light blue walls of her bedroom in her loft, the nightmare and reality fighting to take control of her consciousness. It became too overwhelming, all the colors blurred together, and she could see nothing now, the voice raising when she opened her eyes. Heavy tremors took over her body, she couldn’t stop it when her body jerked around in bed. Her head hurt, her ears hurt, her stomach hurt, her back hurt, her eyes hurt. Everything hurt. The voice clearly reacting to her spasms.  _ Shut up. Please just shut up. _

/

“Kara? No no no open your eyes again, come back again, hey,” Alex said, trying to guide her little sister back to reality. “Kara, you need to wake up. It’s just a bad dream.” Kara was still in a ball, shaking like crazy. Alex had tried to grab her hand, but the reporter recoiled at the touch, convulsing. Kara wouldn’t stop rambling nonsense, wouldn’t stop thrashing around in bed and wouldn’t open her eyes. Alex was growing desperate. “We need to pin her down before she hurts herself, help me,” Alex started.  “Lena right arm Maggie left, I’ll take her legs,” she barked, all three ladies ushering into position. Alex knew that if Kara were to have a panic attack in her dream, she could be prone to use her powers unintentionally, which could lead to injuries. And Alex knew that if Kara hurt someone in this room, she  _ would not _ forgive herself for it. Lena hopped onto the bed and took Kara’s right hand in her left and placed her right hand on her shoulder, holding her down. It took every drop of power and energy Lena had too not break down when Kara struggled against her, clearly wanting Lena to let her go as she whimpered and fought back with closed eyes and a tormented look on her face. Maggie took the same grip on Kara’s left side and when Alex uncurled her sister’s legs from her chest where they were cradled against Kara cried out. 

Alex closed her eyes and swallowed. Y _ ou must be strong Alex. Don’t cry. Don’t let go of her legs. She’s just dreaming. Now it’s your job to calm her down. Think of what your mother said. Hold her down, but release instantly if she woke up, otherwise her claustrophobia would give her a panic attack. She can’t feel trapped.  _ Alex kept telling reassurances and instructions to Kara as she sat down on the blonde's legs, placing her hands on Kara’s knees to hold her still. It was a dangerous game, playing with Kara's nightmares and panic attacks right by the line.  


They sat like that for a while, applying more and more force to Kara’s body as she desperately tried to wiggle free. The reporter was panting, crying, sobbing, rambling and thrashing beneath their touch, a scary combination that brought an uneasy feeling to all three women in the room who tried to hold her still. “Keep holding on, she’s going to tire out soon,” Alex said in between her one-way conversation with Kara. “Kara, you are dreaming. Wake up ! Snap out of it. You’re okay.”

Suddenly, the girl stopped thrashing. Stopped trying to wiggle free.

“Hey hey hey hi can you hear me? Kara? You need to wake up know. You are safe. We’re here.” Alex rambled trying to get through to her sister, for a moment forgetting that she should let go of Kara right about  _ now  _ for her to not feel trapped.

For a few moments the only thing that was heard was Kara wheezing for air.

Then Kara’s eyes shot open.

Blue eyes darted around the bedroom, unfocused and frantic. Confused and shocked that she couldn’t move, she was held down, hard. The feeling of her being pushed down into the mattress and being held down was overwhelming. She felt trapped, confined like inside the pod. Claustrophobic anxiety settling itself in her lungs. She couldn’t breathe. The walls were closing in around her, the roof moved towards her, threatened to crush her. She had to move, or the walls would crush her, but she couldn’t, she was pinned down. She closed her eyes again as the room spun behind her closed lids. Tried counting her breaths but surrendering to her panic. “nonono,” she squealed, screwing her eyes shut. She started hyperventilating as she couldn’t find herself to take a deep breath. There was that voice again. That annoying voice. Dampened, incoherent, low. But familiar. It was… warm. Soothing. It wanted something; she could tell by the tone it had. Flashes of the explosion of her home returned behind her eyes, and she forced herself to open her eyes again to get rid of the horrible pictures. She was behind the foggy glass again, but she knew that she was in her room, in her bed. Someone was on top of her. Kara recognized the form, the outline of the figure. She didn’t see anything except for a silhouette, but her mushy brain was sure it was Alex. “‘lex? “

/

When all Alex could hear was Kara’s panting, she could’ve sworn she heard her name. “Yes Kara, I’m here,” she reassured, hoping that she hadn’t  imagined her the blondes voice.  Her  sister’s eyes were still unfocused and when Alex met the  dozy blue eyes , she was startled by the range of emotions she could see in her eyes. Fear and panic being most dominant.  _ Panic. Shit. She’s having a panic attack. It clicked. Fuck Alex, you failed. You had one job, wake her up without making her panic. You suck.  _

“Everybody off her !” She yelled. “Give her some space!”

Lena let go of Kara’s right arm and collapsed off the bed and onto the floor into an exhausted mess. Lena's hands covered her mouth at the sight of her friend being completely unresponsive, shaking, sobbing and convulsing by the slightest touch. Kara’s back arched as she cried out. Maggie went over to Lena, sat down and put a comforting arm around her shoulders. Maggie had experienced Kara having these kinds of panic attacks a few times before, both with PSI and at home. They were way worse than her regular attacks, usually triggered by her well-earned claustrophobia. Maggie knew that Kara was  _ going _ to be okay after a while, so she focused on calming Lena, who hadn’t ever been present during these kinds of severe episodes before, it was something Kara had been hiding from her roommate. Lena couldn’t help but to let out a sob of fright as she leaned on the detectives’ shoulder. Maggie put her arms around her, assuring her that it was okay. That Kara was okay, it was just because of her claustrophobia. 

In the meantime, Alex was having trouble getting Kara under control. However, she eventually managed to get through to her, and she was now sure that Kara at least heard her voice. After 17 minutes, Kara’s breathing finally slowed down, following the steps her sister was whispering to her, trying her best to let the breathing technique help her. She was shaking, unable to talk, but now she could at least breathe rather properly and could let Alex gently stroke her hair without wanting to flee or escape. And she had finally stopped wailing and whimpering. 

“It’s okay Kara, you don’t have to talk, it's okay. Just relax for me. I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry,” Alex reassured and apologized as she stretched a hand out and brushed some hair out of her sister's clammy forehead. A line of sweat traced her hairline and her teeth were gritted against each other as Kara was quivering.

Kara appreciated that Alex didn’t force her to talk or do anything, that she was just helping her calm down.

Alex waddled closer to Kara with guilt plastered over her face, and carefully and slowly to not frighten her sister, wrapped her arms around her. She was shaking, hands trembling, and she was burning up because of the adrenaline that probably raised her already high standard temperature. She held Kara. Tried to comfort her in the same ways she knew was the most successful during Kara’s past episodes. Alex couldn’t blame her, losing her family, friends and her home wasn’t something easy, and she knew that her adoptive sister had more than enough reasons to be having her panic attacks and nightmares.  _ It was just the fact that you made her panic by holding her down. It was your fault. Maggie and Lena probably thinks you’re such a bad sister.  _ Alex thought.

Kara finally took a deep but shaky breath, indicating to Alex that the worst part was over. She always did the same kind of shaky inhale after every time she’d been crying, and Alex had learned over the years that it meant that she was finally calming down. Her and Kara used to call that specific shaky breath The Calmer, because that was just what it did. It was a sign of Kara relaxing a little bit. “I’m proud of you Kara,” Alex whispered softly. “Good job.”

Lena still had her head buried on  Maggie's shoulder ; she too was shaking. The older couple met eyes and exchanged a small soft smile of relief. Alex with a now calming Kara in her arms, and Maggie with a shocked and trembling Luthor in hers.


	3. Thoughts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> one more shorter chapter hehe bear with me

All three ladies knew that after Kara has had a panic attack, (no matter the severity) she always passes out afterwards due to extreme exhaustion, and Kara had indeed. Alex had felt her sister sinking deeper in her embrace, leaning onto her body and shoulder more and more. Slowly, the blonde’s grip had loosened around her big  sister’s body and her shaking had decreased. Alex had noticed the blonde gradually going limp against her, but she wasn’t entirely sure her sister was out yet by the way she still quivered in her arms and by the way her breathing still hitched. Alex proceeded to lock eyes with Maggie again, this time tilting her head to the side and closing her eyes in the same motion before pointing down to Kara who was pressed to her chest, face in Alex’s neck. 

Maggie understood her  girlfriend's little charade and lifted her head over  Lena's shaky shoulder to peek at Alex’s now passed out little sister. She nodded. Kara was indeed not awake on her shoulder. Alex carefully and slowly slipped out of the hug and out of the bed, laying a stray blanket over her and a pillow under her head, not wanting to stir the blonde to tuck her under her comforter.

Alex patted the back of her head against Kara’s forehead. “She’s running a low - grade fever. And yes , she can have fevers with her powers if she overworks her muscles enough. And after this kind of extreme attack not even someone made of steel can stay conscious. It’s physically and mentally depleting.” Alex said before neither of the other women could ask any questions.

/

They all sat in silence in the kitchen. Alex took a deep breath and let some post-panic-attack nerves relax. 

They were quiet, but inside, all the three  ladies' minds reeled. 

Alex’s mind raced.  _ Why did Kara faint earlier today? Another panic attack? I don’t think she’s ever had multiple episodes the same day before. Did she even faint? Was she malnourished? Dehydrated? How was her speech? Lena had talked to her about it, but I haven’t heard it myself. Has she hit her head? Were there any other weird behaviors? Lena said she was inattentive, but what had she based it off? Was she zoning out? Did her hearing work properly? Was that maybe why she appeared faraway? She couldn’t hear Lena? Was she concussed? Did she have any head wounds? Internal injuries? Was she hurt? Sick? Or just a bad day unfortunately resulting in two panic attacks? _ All the questions paced, not making time to figure each one out before the next popped up in the front of her mind.

Lena’s mind raced.  _ What was up with Kara? Why did she pass out? What were those weird symptoms and why did her speech worsen rather than improve? Is Kara okay? That panic attack was serious. It was horrifying to watch but probably even worse to the one who was experiencing it.  _

Maggie’s mind raced. _ Is Alex okay? Is Kara okay? Is Lena okay? Is Alex okay? Is Kara okay? Is Lena okay? _

Maggie was the first to break the silence after observing the empty expressions of both Lena and Alex. “You feeling okay there, little Luthor?”

Lena did not move, nor tear her gaze from the floor, she just nodded. “The DEO. We need to get her to the DEO,” Maggie said, now searching for the eyes of the eldest Danvers. “Something’s wrong.”

“Duh, silly,” Alex replied, nor did she look up to meet the detective's eyes. “But it’s a large spectrum, she could’ve just had a bad day which caused her to have a panic attack, pass out, be confused when she woke up, fallen asleep, had a nightmare resulting in a claustrophobic episode and then passed out again. But that doesn’t explain the slurred speech nor the fact that she closed her eyes in the bathroom with you Lena,” she paused. “Or something else, more serious has happened. The question is why she passed out. Has she been eating and drinking properly? Maybe she hit her head when she fainted the first time?”

“I asked her  if she hit her head , because that was what I thought too, but I ran my fingers through her hair stealthily when we talked , and I didn’t feel any swelling and she didn’t flinch by any specific spots.” Lena stated, once again the thought about the little bump she felt on the side of Kara’s head but forced the thought back down again.  _ No, it _ _ was too much of a long-shot. _ _ Not worth mentioning. They’ll think I’m crazy.  _ "And as far as I knew she has eaten like a superhero all week.”

Maggie adapted a pondering expression before talking. “Well, so this could be really serious or less serious. The only way to figure out was is happening, if she’s injured, sick or physically fine is to talk to her and observe her when she’s awake.”

The three ladies agreed to keep an eye on the blonde and after they had eaten their reheated food, Maggie and Alex went home again, leaving Lena home alone with Kara.

/

Kara woke up two more times that night. Not in horror, but peacefully, just waking up. It annoyed her, honestly. She was so tired, yet she couldn’t sleep through the whole night. Kara took a deep breath. She rolled over to her side, noticing Lena half-sitting half-laying-down awkwardly beside her, computer in her lap, still in her work clothes. _ Poor Lena _ , she had been trying to stay awake in case Kara needed more help during the night. Kara’s heart warmed. Lena, her best friend in the whole world. She meant a lot to her and losing her would be a nightmare.  _ Literally. _

Kara closed Lena’s laptop and put it beside her. She pulled up the covers, putting them over Lena. She made sure Lena was as comfortable as possible, yawned and closed her eyes, falling asleep in an instant as her head hit the pillow again.

/

It was when Lena resorted to shaking the blonde quite forcefully that she roused from sleep. Lena was dressed up and ready to leave with a to-go coffee cup in her hand and her purse in the other as she sat  cross-legged on the bedside.

“Lena? ‘Times it?” Kara muttered before yawning. The CEO flinched by the still slurry speech but tried thinking it was just because she was newly awake. “It’s 11pm but DON’T worry I’ve got it all figured out and fixed a free morning for you. Your day starts in 30 minutes, so take it easy.”

Kara tilted her head and deflated when Lena was done talking. “Why?” Was all she could get out, she wanted to say more, but didn’t find the energy necessary to argue. 

“I figured you needed the rest, I have to leave now but promise to call if anything happens, okay?” Lena replies, grabbing one of Kara’s hands.

“O-Okay  I 'guess'so.” She got out as she nodded slowly, a headache deciding to bless her with its presence when she did so. 

“See you later!” Lena shouted before closing the door. 


	4. Noonan's.

Kara’s day had been much better today. She had been drinking excessive amounts of coffee and energy drinks too cope with her sleepiness. It didn’t help physically because of her crazy metabolism, Kara knew that, but she figured it may would have a placebo effect to it. She had also been able to finish her article and deliver it to Snapper before lunch and now she was just poking around in her sources trying to find a good story to write about. Kara was expected at Noonan’s for lunch with her boss at 12:30. 

As Kara thought it only was a lunch date, she was oblivious to the fact that Lena had thought it was a good way to check in with her. Lena wanted to check in with her speech too.  


As the clock hit 12:27 the blonde reporter got up from her desk, straightened her skirt out and pushed her chair back in. She closed the monitor screen and dusted her desk off with her hand. She adjusted the picture of her and Alex and made sure that the scented candle she had standing on her desk was blown out. Kara really liked her new office. Lena had given her a private office when she chose to become a reporter three weeks ago.

Kara bent down, picking her bag up and her coat. She went and closed the door, making sure nobody could see her, opened the window and flew to the restaurant.

She landed in a closed off alleyway. Half running out to the square from the alley, Kara readjusted her ponytail, took a deep breath and fiddled with her glasses. As she rounded up the corner, a weird feeling hit her. It was hard to describe, but Kara felt like there were cups over her ears, damping and dulling all sounds, despite her excellent hearing. The reporter was so taken aback by the sudden feeling that she didn’t hear or notice Lena calling her name, waving to her a few meters away. 

Lena’s forehead creased as she saw Kara bringing her hand up to her head, rubbing her temples like she had a headache. She went from stroll to half running as she made her way to the blonde who was now taking support by holding a hand against the wall of the restaurant. Fearing the worst, she rushed the last steps towards her best friend who was clearly bothered.

“Kara?”

She didn’t react.

“K, are you okay? What’s wrong?” Lena put a hand on Kara’s shoulder who was startled by her touch.

Kara swallowed, blinked and shook her head. Plastered on a smile. “Lena, hi! Yes-yes I’m completely fine” she grinned. 

Lena examined her best friend. She didn’t quite believe her. Kara paled before her natural red tone returned to her cheeks. Lena glared at Kara, narrowing her eyes, trying to break her façade. “You sure about that?”

“Absolutely.” Kara adjusted her glasses and avoided Lena’s disapproving eyes. Swallowed again. 

“Okay then, if you say so.” Lena proceeded, making a mental note of how Kara was behaving. “Let’s eat, I’ve already booked a table.”

“Yes, boss! Let’s go!” Kara exclaimed, with an exaggerated joy in her voice. The reporter cleared her throat and swallowed as she lowered her eyes to the ground again.

Lena sighed. Kara and keeping secrets really weren’t a match. She was a terrible liar, more see-through than the glass they walked alongside.

/

At lunch, Lena was talking about her day, pushed to tell more about it as Kara peppered her with slurred and chopped questions, probably trying to eliminate time for talking about how she herself was feeling. Lena knew exactly what the blonde was trying to avoid, but respected that she didn’t feel comfortable talking about it. At least for now. Lena was going to bring it up later, with Alex and Maggie. 

“So, when we were experimenting on adaptive changes in the structure or function of nerve cells or groups of nerve cells, in response to injuries to the nervous system or alterations in patterns of their use and disuse we came to the conclusion that the nucleus indeed did- Kara?”

Lena lifted her eyes to her friend. The poor girl couldn’t even hold her eyes open. Her lashes were fluttering, her left eyelid dangerously low as her right was doing slightly better at keeping open. She was blinking, clearly fighting her sleepiness. Lena figured she shouldn’t interrupt, she wanted to see if this was what happened yesterday. Lena seeing Kara have an episode of whatever it was she was fighting with could be of use later.

Kara’s head wagged back and forth, her head wanting to droop forward but Kara fighting back with jerking her head backwards again. It didn’t seem like Kara had noticed that Lena had stopped talking, nor the calling of her name. She was away, somewhere else but in the restaurant. Her eyes were fixed onto her hand holding her fork, which was stuck in a loop of small movements twitching back and forth. Her breathing deepened, her shoulders rising and falling in sync to her head bobbing forward. Her hand stopped spasming, and she blinked exceedingly, her eyes nearly closed. The heavy feeling Kara felt radiated off her. Lena’s heart broke at the sight of her roommate fighting for consciousness and failing miserably. It took every drip of self - control Lena had to not interfere. Kara exhaled and finally closed her eyes. 

When Lena saw that Kara’s eyes didn’t refocus back from rolling backwards before closing she was quick to stretch over the table and stretch her hand out to prevent Kara from falling face first into her food. She made her way around the table, still holding the tired girl around her arm in a steady grip. She took another grip with her other hand on Kara’s other shoulder, and gently guided Kara, shifting her weight onto the backrest of the chair. Kara’s head dropped backwards, making her rest against Lena’s chest who was now standing behind her. Lena smiled in the middle of all the seriousness, adoring how cute Kara was. The reporters position made her ponytail a mess.

“Wake up Kar,” Lena said, not to loud though, so that the other customers wouldn’t hear.  _ Good thing I chose a corner table _ _. _

Lena took a grip around each of Kara’s wrists and gently crossed Kara’s limp arms over her chest to steady her. 

/

Kara lifted her brows before her eyelids and blinked as soon as her eyes met the brightness of the restaurants ceiling lamps.

“I did’t eat you p’zza!” She insisted, not all the way awoken yet. Lena tried not worrying about the fact that Kara’s speech hadn’t improved at all since this morning, it may have only gotten worse. The blonde woman yawned, and noticed her arms crossed over her chest. She panicked a little but calmed down as soon as she saw Lena was the one who was standing over her, holding her. 

Lena snickered at Kara’s random insisting but chose to ignore it. Her smile dulled and she turned her gaze onto Kara’s droopy blue ones. “Is this what happened yesterday before I came home? Lena asked softly but serious, looking down at Kara, loosening her grip around her wrists. “Is this what happened yesterday?” She repeated. Kara, still struggling to readjust to the brightness in the restaurant, shrugged. “don’t know.” Lena laid a comforting hand in Kara’s.

“S’rry Len’na”

Lena shook her head, still smiling, “You don’t have to apologize you know?”

Kara looked up at her boss and nodded. 

The reporter tilted her head forward to stretch her neck out, and in the movement , she realized where she was. “Rao” Kara slurred in a whisper, putting a hand over her mouth as she used the other one to help her sit back up again. Kara’s face now flushing bright red. “Lena, Noonan’s.” 

Lena couldn’t help but to laugh at Kara’s adorable sudden realization. “Yes Kara, we are indeed at Noonan’s.” Lena paused before she continued. “And this wouldn’t've happened in the middle of lunch if something wasn’t wrong, right?”

Kara exhaled. No, she wouldn’t.

**_ “It happened again? No panic attack? Just the pass out?” _ **

_ “Yes.” _

**_ “Okay  _ ** **_ that’s it. Something _ ** **_ is clearly wrong, I’ll bring her in to the DEO _ ** **_ immediately _ ** **_ , she needs a thorough physical and cognitive exam. We’ll be at L-corp in 20 minutes.” _ **

_ “Bye.” _

Lena went ahead and texted her chauffeur, asking him  to pick her and a friend up from Noonan’s immediately.

**  : Hi, I’m going to need a ride to L-corp right now. It’s urgent. **

** Frank: Right away Miss Luthor. I’ll be 2 minutes. **

** : Great. Thanks. **

In a matter of two minutes, Lena had paid for their food and dragged a dazed Kara out of the restaurant. The blonde had a pale color to her face and she was a woman of few words. Not that she had spoken a lot at all today, as her talking abilities had worsened against her will during the day. 

It annoyed Kara a lot as she liked to express herself, but she was embarrassed and didn’t want to concern Lena or Alex or Maggie _or_ someone else with her heavy slur and choked stutters. Kara had tried earlier to have a conversation with herself for practice, but her mouth and tongue just wouldn’t cooperate, her brain turning into mush when it came to forming a single coherent sentence. 

Lena asked Kara repeatedly how she felt, if she was feeling sick or if she’s okay. She was clearly worried.  _ Mission failed _ . Kara thought.  _ I’m a burden. A stupid, stupid burden to everyone. _

As an answer to Lena’s many questions Kara relied on body language and headshakes, only choking out words like ‘dizzy’ or ‘headache’, the latter which she slurred so heavily it took a couple of repetitions for Lena to understand. 

Lena was concerned as she felt like her best  friend's state was deteriorating before her eyes, with nothing she could do about it. It took approximately 1 minute and 53 seconds before  Lena's driver pulled over outside the restaurant. Kara, who was leaning heavily against Lena with her head sagged forward, occasionally rubbing her temples and trying to string together a sentence, only to give up halfway as she stuttered through the words. Lena could see that Kara was trying her absolute best to talk properly, her characteristic crinkle showing between her eyebrows as she tried forcing out letters. 

“Hey, it’s okay, don’t talk okay?” Lena began. “Look, Frank is here.” She finished as she guided a wobbly Kara to the backseat whilst she herself seated herself next to the driver. 

It was a 23-minute drive from the national city’s town square to Lena’s office. Those minutes passed quickly though ; Lena had ‘only’ managed to respond to four emails when her chauffeur stopped. The CEO opened her seatbelt as well as her door, slipping out of the car and said a “thank you for being so quick. Also, take the rest of the day off, I won’t be needing any more rides today.” before she closed the door. However, Kara didn’t leave the car.

Lena figured what could’ve happened and chose to open the backseat door slowly, to ensure that Kara wouldn’t fall out the car if she was leaning on the door. She was right. Kara had managed to fall asleep once again during the time in the car. Lena had noticed Kara wasn’t saying anything but had chosen to direct her focus onto her business mails. But Kara not managing to stay awake in the car wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, no matter the state she was in.

Kara’s eyes were moving underneath her closed eyelids, and when Lena reached out to open her seatbelt, she rambled something in Kryptonese. But this time, she didn’t sound scared or sad, she was just mumbling in her sleep. Lena couldn’t help but to think about what Kara was possibly dreaming of, talking so much in her sleep as she always was. 

“Kara, Kara wake up. We’re here,”

The soft voice was enough to wake her. She got out of the car. Kara had to fight the urge to run to Lena’s office and hide, as embarrassed as she was. _Stupid and weak. That’s what you are. Making everyone concerned. At least TRY to not behave weird, right now your pretending sucks. You can’t even fricking talk. No, you’re stronger than this._ _You MUST be stronger than this._ Toxic thoughts still swiveling in her mind. She was determined not to look weak. It was important. _Very. Important. NOT a burden._

/

As soon as the elevator doors opened, Kara sped the long hallway into  Lena's office, not bothering to wait for her friend.

Lena was startled by the sudden speed and boom of air but deflated quickly and she put a melodramatic hand over her chest as she  stepped towards Jess’s desk.

“Hi, did you have those templates I asked for?”

“Len-Miss Luthor ...” Jess cleared her throat. “- yes , they are right here, this bundle there.” 

Lena laughed, Jess was the very definition of formal and professional, but sometimes  she slipped up and  her AW persona shone through. Lena found it cute.

“Thank you, _Jess_.” She smiles as began walking down the long hall towards her office.

/

“Alex and Maggie are on their way here right now, how are you feel-“Lena stopped as she lifted her trained eyes from the floor when she closed the office door. “Wow,” 

Kara was fast asleep on the couch, sprawled across the white faux leather cushions. Lena could find herself to wake her again, three times in one hour must be a record. Another sign she was worsening. Her body shutting off at every opportunity possible to focus all her energy on get better, clearly not doing a very good job. 

Lena unfolded the turquoise throw blanket and put it over Kara who was shivering. The CEO couldn’t fend off a soft chuckle when she  scrutinized her  friends' position on her couch before she  lowered the blanket all the way down. Kara’s right arm was folded and tucked under her head, her left palm resting and twitching on her elbow. She was slumped on her side, face  millimeters from the back of the couch, her sleepy puffs amplified by the way they bounced of the  white  leather cushions. Her legs were on top of each other, feet tangled around themselves with her knees against her chest that heaved up and down in a slow manner. Her glasses again, lied skewed on her nose. Kara’s breathing was heavy, but to Lena’s relief rhythmical and steady. She mumbled something again as she sighed contented and nuzzled under the blanket, but Lena couldn’t make out what the younger woman was saying.

/

“Wow, this is what? The  fourth time today? It’s only like 1pm.”

Lena furrowed her brow as she stepped aside to let the couple inside. “Third as far as I know, and wow was what I said too.”

“She only does this when her body is in high stress. Her body shuts off to try and focus all energy to regenerate. You know, her impenetrable and indestructible kryptonian DNA kicking in.” Alex stated as she made her way over to Kara who had shifted on the couch, nose sticking up in the air, crinkle between her eyes. 

“That’s what I thought.” Lena muttered.

“You okay? You were pretty shaken up when we left last night. You sleep okay?” Maggie asked with a kindness only she had in her eyes, full of care and concern. It warmed Lena's heart that Maggie asked her how she was doing when Kara was doing so bad. “Yeah, I’m okay. I didn’t sleep much but it’s fine.” She answered. 

“It’s not fine, but okay if it’s for one night, and one night only, promise to call if you need help.” Maggie smiled but eyes serious.

Lena returned  Maggie's smile. “Yes, I promise. Thank you.”

“So , what happened?”

Lena took a deep breath and threw a look over to Alex who was taking Kara’s temperature among other things while she slept.

“Well...”

/

Kara groaned.

“no, ‘m tired.” 

“Hey there to you too little Danvers.”

Kara pressed one eye open and saw the three older women towering over her. The attention exhausted her, she slipped her eyes closed again but held one arm up in the air, wanting a hug.

Both Alex and Maggie hugged the weak body, and while Alex leaned in, she managed to convince Kara to follow them to the car.

“n’ dee’o,” Kara slurred, the couple wincing at her speech. 

“Sureee, But I don’t promise anything.” Alex responded, making the last part almost inaudible. 

/

Kara really, really tried staying awake in the car, being interrupted every time she dozed off by Maggie who had made it her mission to keep Kara at a wakeful state.

“No no no little Danvers stay with us.” Maggie smiled as she squeezed her shoulder. 

Kara shivered, trying to shake the drowsiness. Maggie grinned when the young Danvers sister held out her arms again, wanting another hug. 

Maggie clicked her tongue as she shook her head. “Oh Kara…”

Alex looked in the rear-view mirror and saw her little sister tangled around Maggie, nuzzled into her neck. Kara thought that it was, apart from very comfortable and cozy, a clever way to close her eyes, hiding it from the detective. Shaking her head Alex cleared her throat and looked at Maggie through the mirror and nicked her head to her side, suggesting the detective should investigate what happened to her right. Maggie took the clue and peered onto her shoulder, where Kara was drawing long, deep breaths. The detective took a deep breath and put her right arm around her girlfriend’s sister, stroking her fingers against Kara’s side. “I give up,” she surrendered with a chuckle.

“Girl of Steel, huh?” Maggie said as she inhaled, letting a soft laughter out when she exhaled again. 

“Only on the outside ,” Alex winked and glanced up into the mirror again and saw Kara motionless in Maggie’s arms, snoring softly against Maggie's neck. Although there was something abnormal in Kara’s sleeping patterns, Alex knew that this wasn’t one of the abnormalities. Kara had ever since she was a kid had trouble staying awake for more than 10 minutes in the car if she wasn’t the one driving. There was something about the low vibration and sound from the engine of the car that seemed to always lull her sister to sleep. Alex sighed and observed when Maggie put her chin on top of Kara’s head and wrapped her other arm around her little sister. Maggie also sighed as she watched the city roll past outside the windows before she met eyes with Alex again through the mirror, smiling. “We’ll fix this, she’s going to be okay Alex,” Maggie reassured as she could notice the concerned lacing the agent had behind her smile. Alex met her eyes in the mirror for a second before focusing on the road again. “Yeah, but I’m concerned with her head, she’s like acting straight up stupid and can’t speak properly. I’m really worried.” 

“We all are,” Maggie said. “But she’ll be okay. I know it.”


	5. Examinations And Evaluations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> feedback is greatly appreciated.  
> Don't forget english isn't my first language.

When arrived at the DEO, the couple figured it would be smart to keep the blonde asleep as they settled her in the  med bay . 

“J’onn, hi.” Alex said as she saw the familiar face inside. “I kinda need a  favor .”

“Anything, Agent Danvers, what is it?”

“Well, could you carry Kara to  med bay ? She’s in the car and isn’t awake and I’d like to keep her that way so I can run some tests without her struggling against me. You know, I told you how she was acting strange and well, she’s only getting worse. Also , I kinda promised I wouldn’t take her to the DEO,”

“Ah, Of course Alex .” J’onn nodded

Two minutes later J’onn carefully placed Kara’s limp form on one of the beds. 

“She really is one hell of a sleep talker.” J’onn said smiling towards Alex. He was only met by a weak, small smile and her avoiding gaze. 

“Hey, it’s going to be okay. If anyone can fix her, it’s you. You got this.” He reassured before he hugged her and left Alex and Maggie alone in the room with Kara. 

Maggie sat down next to Kara as her girlfriend paced around gathering tools and medication around the bay. She took Kara’s twitchy hand in hers. “You’re going to be okay. I promise you little Danvers. Whatever it is. You’re stronger than it.”

“I need to do two big exams on her and hook her up to some stuff. The stuff I can do now but I’ll need her awake and as attentive as possible for the other tests.” Alex said to the nurse who took notes on her clipboard. “Yes, Agent Danvers.”

She walked over to Kara and Maggie and placed a hand on the  detective's shoulder. Maggie looked up and met her eyes. “What are you going to do now?” 

The agent inhaled through her nose and clicked her tongue. “Well, I need to take her temperature again, get her a regular  fluid IV in and nutrition IV through her nose due to the immense  malnourishment  and dehydration that the machines show. Also check her eyes, check her stimuli on the important parts of her body and hopefully I’ll be able to take some blood too. Then I’m going to do a full cognitive evaluation and a physical one with an X-ray and MRI-scan.”

“You both have a long day ahead of you, it's going to go great. I believe in you Alex. I am however needed at NCPD, armed robbery.” Maggie said as she pulled Alex into a hug. “Love you.” 

“Love you too,” Alex returned, her gaze still fixed on Kara’s calm form when Maggie broke the hug and left.

She grabbed the cart and put it next to the chair Maggie sat in before placing herself there. First, temperature. Alex lifted a shaky hand and put it against her sister's forehead, recoiling by the hot surface. “Wow,” she said under her breath when she grabbed the thermometer. Carefully, she put her index and middle finger on Kara’s chin, carefully opening her mouth. She stuck the thermometer under her tongue, waited patiently for it to beep when done. A few short moments later it buzzed, and Alex removed it, putting her fingers under Kara’s chin and pushing her mouth closed again. 109.7. If Kara were human, she’d be in hyperpyrexia, unconscious. Dead even. But she naturally ran warmer, making this a high fever, but not fully dangerous yet, but very close. If the fever got over 110 her state would be critical. 

Now to the next step. IV: s. Alex rolled the pole over that already stood quite close to the bed. She hanged both the fluid and nutrition bags on separate ends and took the white fluid tube, straightened it out, it was supposed to be 2 meters, but Alex could tell this was longer, the crew had ordered wrong. It didn’t matter though. She exchanged the needle at the end with a green one, snapping it in place. With the other hand she patted Kara’s forearm after deciding that it would be smarter to put it there than on the top of her hand, knowing that it hurt worse on the hand. _Been there done that._ She took a tweezer, picked up a cotton ball and soaked it in antiseptic before dabbing it over her arm where the needle was going in. Alex knew that she needed to be smooth with this or Kara would wake up and freak out because 1. She’s at the DEO 2. She hates needles due to the fact it was the first pain she ever experienced and 3. She would feel shitty due to the fever. Kara would fight against Alex and she didn’t need that kind of challenge right now and having to sedate Kara was the _last_ thing she wanted. 

Alex placed her left palm on Kara’s arm, slightly under were the needle would go in with a small napkin between her fingers. She positioned the needle and stuck it in.  _ Success _ . Kara didn’t as much as move, a millisecond of the crinkle being her only response. The agent breathed out. She pulled of some surgical tape and placed the napkin over the needle before taping it in place. Using her index finger, she shook the transparent bag to life as she grabbed the next tube. This wasn’t a needle. It needed to go through Kara’s nose. Bracing herself Alex positioned herself over Kara. This was what she was trained on.  _ Just match and time her breathing as you lower it. She won’t even notice if you’ll do it right. You got this. Steady hands. Match the exhales.  _

And she did, only messing up once but managed to place the nutrition tube without as much as a murmur or jolt from her little sister. _ Thank god _ . Now with all her IV’s in, she needed to insert another needle, unfortunately. Kara’s high fever needed medication and Alex would give it to her in a concentrated form straight into her bloodstream and leaving the possibility to add narcotics and other sedatives if needed. The eldest sister managed to insert the other green needle just as smoothly into Kara’s chest. 

Now she only needed to see if the reporter reacted like she should to physical stimulation on her feet, thighs, stomach, arms, neck and face. There were two methods, needles or feathers. Pain stimuli or tickle stimuli. Alex went with the latter. 

She was satisfied with Kara’s attentiveness when it came to tickles, murmuring and shifting on the bed when Alex brushed it against her skin. Pulling out a flashlight, Alex placed her thumb under Kara’s left eye and her index slightly over her eyelid, forcing the eye open. Then she flashed the light in her eyes, also rather satisfied with the results. With her fever in mind, Kara should be completely unresponsive, but her rolled back pupils reacted to the light, weakly and no near good enough, but reacted, nonetheless. 

After taking some of Kara’s blood from the untouched right arm, she sent the bloodwork and other samples and results to the lab. She had turned on the sunlamps to maximum before being forced to take a break by J’onn. “Out. Eat. Nap.” He had ordered, pointing at the couch farther away in the break room, where he had placed food from Big Belly Burger and a blanket. Alex obeyed.

Lena was pacing in circles. No matter how hard she tried she couldn’t focus on the templates in front of her. It was meaningless to try and concentrate as her best  friend's condition lingered in the front of her mind, absorbing all her energy. The worst part about it was not knowing. Not knowing how she’s doing, if they’d fixed her, if she was worse or better. Nothing. She pondered before deciding. She couldn’t wait any longer.

Alex had nodded off in the sofa after eating a quarter of the burger and half the Dr. Pepper when a her phone vibrated her to consciousness. 

** Lena Luthor: Alex I can’t wait any longer. I have to see her. Please let me visit her ** **. **

Alex rubbed her eyes with a loose fist before typing an answer.

** : You know  ** ** where ** ** it is. **

** Lena Luthor ** ** : Thank you thank you thank you **

** :  ** ** Sure. **

The agent turned her wrist, waking her smart watch.  _ 73 minutes, I have been out for 1 hour and 13 minutes _ . _Kara._

Shaking her head , she stood up and tidied the room, folding the blanket and threw the now cold leftovers and wrappers in the trash can. 

/

It was weird. This darkness. She saw nothing. Heard nothing. But could swear she felt a pinch in her arm , but it was so fast she figured she must’ve imagined it. Kara had been able  to open her eyes once, but only for a few, few seconds before her vision was stolen from her once again and she was dragged into the darkness. Occasionally she would slip into a dream but woke from them quickly. Not waking up to light, no. She woke up from the dream but landed in the darkness again, like it was  a middle place between consciousness and unconsciousness. 

/

“Get the adrenaline going, we’re going to wake her now.” Alex instructed to the nurse. 

“Kara!” A voice cried out. Alex had to turn around to look at the speaker and saw Lena stumbling into the  med bay. “How is she? Is she better?” Alex put both hands on  Lena's shoulders to still her. “Hey, look at me,” she demanded when Lena wouldn’t tear her gaze from Kara who was showing signs of waking up. “I’m going to need your help,” she continued. Lena nodded. “Kara is probably going to flip her shit with the fact that she’s here and her IV’s. She is also going to be confused , but I’ll need you to calm her, comfort her or whatever, I know you’re good at that. I just need you to keep calm and help me do my tests on her, okay?”

Lena nodded. She understood. She slid down onto the chair that stood by the bed and took Kara’s hand in hers. Activated her business stone wall mindset.  “Hey you, welcome back,” She whispered when Kara’s eyes fluttered open before abruptly squeezing closed again. “No, open your eyes again. I know you can. It’s just a little bright.” Lena met quick eyes with Alex who stood on the other side of the bed with her hands on the protective railing. Kara grunted and blinked her eyes open again. When she had them open long enough to realize where she was her eyes widened. She turned her head and glared to Alex who stood ready to face the storm. “Alex! I said no DEO! Why!” 

When Alex wasn’t greeted by a long and harsh scolding of its regular nature but instead a slurred cry her heart broke into a million little pieces. _ You need to remain effective. Now take the chance to do the cognitive tests. Concussion? High fever amnesia?   _ She thought, springing into action. She sat on top of the bed were Kara’s legs were before but now they were drawn up to her chest, arms flailing and attempting to pull out her IV’s and yank out her nutrition tube. “Lena!” Alex said when she took Kara’s right arm, wanting Lena to take the other one. “The calming thing, now thanks,” Alex hissed. Lena nodded and searched with her green hues for the frantic blue ones. When they finally met, the blonde relaxed immediately, stopped flailing and pulling at the needles. “That’s it, good job Kara just take it easy. We’re just helping you. You have a high fever and that is explaining you your headache and confusion. You’re okay, we’ve got you. We are helping you and those are helping you.” Lena pointed to the tube that Kara held, ready to yank it out. 

Alex watched in awe when Kara visibly relaxed as she listened to the CEO’s voice. She  knew that they were friends, roommates as they were but that close, no she didn’t know that. She’d heard that Lena was good calming her from a panic attack , but Alex thought otherwise due to  Lena's meltdown yesterday. Maybe she wasn’t so bad. Alex saw Kara’s grip slip off the tubes.  “Lena, keep talking,” Alex whispered. Lena nodded without letting go of Kara’s eye contact. “Just relax, we’re here. Alex wants to ask you a few questions, you think you can do that?” Lena said in a calming voice.

“She has to \- “ Alex was cut off by  Lena's death glare. 

“Can you do it?” Lena asked again, receiving a nod and a swallow and blink from the reporter. 


	6. Far Away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeah sorry i didn't proof this at all

“Kara?”

“ Mm .”

“What day is it today?”

“Fr-fri-day.”

Alex closed her eyes.  _ It’s Wednesday. _

“Okay. Do you know what year it is?”

Kara’s eyes widened and her breathing picked up. “Wait wh-what?”

Lena squeezes her hand. “Relax, you haven’t been in a coma or anything, we’re just checking.” Kara relaxed again.

“March.”

“No , the year Kara.”

“Autumn,” Kara responded, looking very confused and feeling very out of place. She knew what Alex said, but it didn’t register like  she should , and she ended up guessing questions and answers matching them. She winced when she saw the look on both Alex as  Lena's face.  _ Probably guessed wrong. _

Alex sighed, tears burning under her eyes.  _ Come on Kara. _

“Kara?”

“Yea”

“What. Year. Is. It?” She articulated.

“Twenty n’tenn,”

“Yes! I mean okay. How about what’s my name?”

“‘ Lex”

“No , my name isn’t Lex, what is my name? I know it’s a nickname , but you have to try and say the real one.”

Kara winced. _ This was going to sound bad.  _

“A-a-alex’an-dra-a” she choked out, eyes shut and eyebrows knitted in concentration.

“Good, how about her name?” Alex pointed to Lena. 

“Lee-an,” she said, meeting  Lena's eyes. “No, Le-na.” She corrected.

“Good,” Alex answered . Now it’s going to get harder. She pulled out  Kara’s old pink water bottle that used to be her soccer bottle . “What’s this?”

Kara didn’t answer. She just stared on the bottle. She knew what it was. She had seen it before _. _ But it didn’t click.

“Hey, it’s okay take your time,” Alex reassured. “What color is it then?”

Kara didn’t answer now either, she just looked dazed. 

“Kara ?” Alex repeated, concern pinching her eyebrows. “Can you name any  color?” 

Alex could see a spark of recognition flash in her  sisters' eyes before it left again. “Kara?”

“Li-Le-mon-e” Kara winced ; her gaze still stuck.

“What why \- Okay hey, look at me.” Alex prodded. “At me,”

When Kara didn’t, Lena tried squeezing her hand again but got no reaction.  Lena raised a hand and tucked a strand of hair behind Kara’s ear. Upon touch, the blonde suddenly flinched and looked to the left, gaze locked onto the IV bags. “Kara?” Lena said. “Kara?”

A feeling of total calm hit her, a wave of relaxation. The wave was powerful, it made her fight to keep her eyes open. She swayed around on the bed and her head was lolling. She could hear Lena call for her name, but she didn’t quite register it. The cups were back on her ears and she locked her eyes on the bags dangling behind Lena. Kara swallowed, squeezed her eyes closed before opening them again. She felt Lena shaking her shoulder, but she couldn’t react. Everything was going in slow-motion. It was like Lena touched the shell of her body, so that Kara both felt and didn’t feel her concerned squeezes. Her head hurt, and now her ears were ringing, a high-pitched sound that made Kara feel like her head would explode. But Kara didn’t let go of her gaze, she didn’t blink. She wasn’t looking anywhere particular, she wasn’t there. She didn’t feel her limbs. Her body was numb. Pins and needles everywhere. She didn’t feel the touches and pushes that her body received. She didn’t feel her neck straining at a weird angle.  She didn’t feel Alex’s hand against her cheek nor the grip around her wrist that Lena held. She didn’t hear any voices or sounds; it was all quiet. She didn’t feel, notice or register anything before everything went black. Still staring, eyes locked faraway.

Alex scrutinized her sister. Inattentive, not blinking, staring, unresponsive. Alex leaned over and flashed a light in her eyes.  Shouldering her inner doctor persona. 

Eyes unresponsive. She pulled out a needle and inserted it again. Pain stimuli unresponsive. She took the feather again. Tickle spasm unresponsive. She pulled out a set of small head phones with a very high frequency in them that would hurt Kara’s ears. Hearing stimuli unresponsive.  Glanced at her wristwatch, 25 seconds and counting.

She ran the symptoms through her mind, closed her eyes as she did so. 

Inattentive, unresponsive, staring. Inattentive, unresponsive, staring.

Seizure. She was having a seizure. What was is called? Absence? 

“She is having  an absence seizure ,” Alex called out as it clicked.

“A what now?”  Lena frowned as she frantically flickered her eyes over the two sisters .

“She’s seizing, we need to  stabilize her on the bed, help  me with her legs.” Alex responded as she stood up. She knew it was a bad idea to touch or interfere with a seizure , but she had to make sure that Kara and her IV’s and medication were stable on the bed and in her veins. 

They managed to uncurl her legs and lay her on her back, Kara didn’t react at all. She wasn’t limp, but she didn’t have her normal strength and she was exceptionally heavy. 

“You care to explain what’s happening?” Lena asked again, very worried.

“It’s a kind of seizure, epileptics could get  them etc. She’s seizing but instead of  spasming she stares and her mind goes blank. We just need her to ride it out, she’s going to be very confused when she wakes up. Possibly experience amnesia,” Alex rambled off as she circled the bed and stood next to Lena.

“Wait so? Kara’s epileptic? Is that even possible.” Lena said as she frowned and shook her head in disbelief.

“I-” Alex stuttered as she adjusted the nutrition tube in Kara’s nose. “I don’t know.”

Alex shivered when she saw that Kara still hadn’t blinked once since she trailed off.  _ Keep your cool. You’ve seen this before. It’s just a seizure, you’ve dealt with those before. Although not on Kara. Shit. No, keep your cool. Now bring her back, if she’s gone for longer, she might suffer brain injury. You know that. You have a degree for god sake. Use it. Do something. Fix your sister! It’s your responsibility. _ Alex’s thoughts sparked off and stopped and blended into each other as she shuffled next to Lena.

 “If it is what I think it is, she should be able to hear us, so we could try and guide her back to us.” She sighed.

Lena nodded. “Kara?”

Kara still didn’t see, hear or feel anything. She was still trapped somewhere dark far away from her body. But then Kara could hear it, something. Kara focused all her energy on that one sound, listening as much as she could.  Then her eyes hurt. Like hell. They burned as if salt was poured into them.  Then came the brightness, all she could see was white. Then she could feel it, something in her hand. Her senses slowly came returning.

Lena froze in her place with her hand around Kara’s when she felt a small squeeze in her hand, so small and weak it was almost nonexistent. _Kara_. Not moving her head, Lena lifted her gaze from her friends' hand to her face. She was blinking. Finally.

“Hey, hey hey , Kara? Hey,” Alex whispered when the blonde showed signs of coming back. Kara flinched, and after the hasty movement she suddenly was back, blinking exceedingly due to her tired dry eyes that had been staring for far too long , but she moved around, looking around the room. “Alex ? Lena? Wha-?” she puckered her lips.

“Hey!  Welcome back and hey your speech is  getting  better, how  are you  feeling ?” Alex said before flashing a light in Kara’s eyes. “Hey! Ouch! A warning maybe?” Kara hissed as she closed her eyes and rubbed it with the hand Lena wasn’t holding. Lena smiled and looked at Alex. “Yeah, just give her a second Alex,” she said softly. 

“Sorry,” Alex said apologetically and lowered the light torch. “You  had a seizure Kara, do you know what happened?” 

Her little sister just frowned. “No I didn’t and no I don’t.” She said slowly as she met both eyes of the older women.

Alex tilted her head to her side. “What do you mean you didn’t?”

“You guys are confusing me,” Kara said as she crawled back on the bed, letting go of  Lena's hand and tried pushing herself into a sitting position. “I don’t- what?”

“amnesia,” Alex  muttered to herself as she jotted something down on the clipboard that had been thrown on the tray. “Hey, it’s okay if you don’t remember, what’s the last thing that you remember?”

Kara took her time pondering. “Lemon,” She said,  face contorted in a ‘shit-I'm-probably-wrong' expression,  not sure if she’d imagined it or not. It was the first thing that came to mind. Or last for that matter. 

“That’s good, that was  what you said  when you were starting to zone out, what happened after that? Do you remember anything else ? Were you in any pain? Do you know what happened?” Alex said as she continued making notes on the clipboard. Lena observed both women as she fiddled nervously with her fingers.

The reporter lowered her eyes and flicked them on Lena,  receiving an encouraging smile from  the CEO. “Well, you asked me and I tried so hard to say what it was because I knew but I couldn’t  like-  talk and then I couldn’t move because I got reaaaaaally tired , like for real really like groggy and I tried fighting it off but then it got dark for a second and then you said  ‘ hey hey  Kara’ or something. I think.” Kara rambled off.

“Well, your speech is kind of back, you had us really worried there you know?” Lena asked, taking a new grip around Kara’s hand. “Now relax okay?”

The blonde woman nodded and uncurled herself on the bed. 

Alex took Kara’s other hand after she had fixed her IV’s. “I think you had a seizure, and it’s okay. Now we know something is wrong , but we don’t know what yet, but we’ll figure it out, okay?” Alex reassured. “I need to do a physical exam ; do you want Lena to go or stay? It’s a full exam.” 

“She can stay,” Kara yawned, blinked as her eyes drooped. Alex quickly picked up on her  behavior. “Hey, I know you’re really tired right now especially after a seizure , but I need you to stay awake so try and fight it okay?”

Kara nodded. “Okay.”


	7. "Alex sit down. Brainy Leave."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what do you guys think so far?  
> didn't proof this one either sue me

“So far so good.” Alex muttered as she wrote down some notes on the clipboard. “We only have the scalp check, x-ray and MRI-scan left.” 

The exhaustion that came from the seizure was really getting to Kara and she had decreased her participation in the conversation between the three women as Alex worked her way up on her body checking for any abnormalities. She nodded. “You doing okay?” Lena asked as she squeezed Kara’s shoulder, tucked her hair away with the other. 

Kara nodded again. “Mm,” she shook herself back on track. “Just do it now I’m getting that tired feeling again,” Kara grunted. 

“Yes of course, the check should be fairly quick, and we won’t need the X-ray, but I still need you to do the MRI, and that could take some time, but you could sleep in there.” Alex responded before realizing that her sister wasn’t really listening, Kara just gave her a ‘just-get-it-over-with’ look and Alex cleared her throat and put on a new pair of gloves. “I’ll shut up.”

She redirected Kara into an upwards position and asked her to bring her hair loose from the braid. Kara obliged.  

Everything felt fine, with jaw, face and 75% of her head checked and everything looked normal, no bumps or other indications of an injury (not that Kara could get bumps or bruises but better to be safe than sorry). “You’re doing great Kara,” Alex murmured as she worked her way to the right side of Kara’s head, rubbing her fingers and scratching gently through her hair, searching for abnormalities. 

Lena's heart skipped a beat when Alex fingers felt their way over the spot that Lena forced herself not to think about.  _ Oh give yourself a break Lena, you DIDNT feel anything earlier you’re just imagining and being unnecessarily paranoid. Relax for God’s sake. Jeez. Stupid.  _

Lena shook her head visibly.  _ It- It can’t be. _

 

“Ow! Hey!” 

Alex ceases all movement midair; fingers pressed a few centimeters behind Kara’s temple, over her ear. Lena also stopped in her tracks and held her breath. 

“What do you mean ow?” Alex said slowly, her face contorted in a worried and concerned expression. “You shouldn’t be saying ow,” she continued as she threw a very concerned look at Lena who met her with the same look on her face. Alex turned back to her sister.  "why are you saying ow?"  


“Ow means ow, it hurt when you did that thingy.”

“This?” Alex asked as she pressed her fingers down and stretched the skin out.

“Yes that! Ow stop!” Kara recoiled backwards away from Alex glove clad fingers. Lena placed a hand on her shoulder. “Kara. Sit still.” 

Alex met Lena's eyes or a millisecond before reaching out again. “Kara, tilt your head to the side. Now.”

“Okay okay relax,” Kara waddled back to Alex’s hands. “Just, be careful, it hurts.”

Her sister didn’t answer, she just traced her fingers around the spot that Kara had reacted to. Until she suddenly felt a bump. It was so small. Almost nonexistent. Like a grain of salt. Maybe two. “I feel something. Sit completely still Kara.” She ordered, voice thick with command and focus. “Lena, hand me a flashlight. And get  Brainy. Now.” 

Lena hurries into action, felt the urgency laced in Alex’s words.  _ Something was wrong. Very wrong _ . Her gut twisted with every step.  _ I knew it, I knew, I knew it. _

/

“Lena told me you needed  me , what  can I  assist you with?” Brainy said, lacking his usual ‘I’m a level twelve intellect’ attitude and choosing of words. It was clear the human part of him was worried to when he met the heavily concerned eyes of Agent Danvers. 

“Brainy, pardon my  French but what the  hell is this?” She said, gesturing with her head towards her hands that were placed on the side of Kara’s tilted head, whose face was painted with fright by her  sister's sudden concern and worry. “Consider your  French excused. Now excuse me,” Brainy said as he  peeled away Agent Danvers hand from the blondes head. Instead of using his hands he leaned in close and tried looking at the spot in question . He nudged his ring and activated his zoom .

“No , it can’t be-  How?  that’s not- no,” he rambled. Alex’s worry scale didn’t quite decrease when the  smarty-pants suddenly lost his  usually extraordinary  speech. “What ?... What?!... What is it Brainy?!” Alex raised her voice. 

“Alex,” Kara whispered. 

“Sorry, I’m sorry Kara,” she replied and switched sides , so she stood by Kara’s side. “What is it Brainy?”

There was a short silence. Brainy closing his eyes under said time.

“If I’m correct, this is a  Baxterian Narcotiza Paleabrax, or  Paleabrax as it is referred to. It is a parasite with only  one former  victim after which got  supposedly  extinct. It is a narcotic parasite that was  artificially made by the royal house of the planet Turixio to subtly eliminate and control conquering forces without giving others the opportunity of tracing the virus back to them. It was only used once, or rather they accidentally set the virus loose on themselves, costing the life of their all-too curious prince and almost the life of his younger brother. It was specifically made to hurt Turixians so  its effects have dulled on earthly or kryptonian DNA for that matter. The parasite is by that matter not in itself lethal, but the state it could set  its victim in could be. It is classified as a narcotic virus, meaning that during the creatures attempts of taking over their victims brain capacity, it’s carrier experiences  lack of bodily control and suffers severe episodes of- “

Suddenly, Kara flinched. It was a big and harsh flinch, made Alex remove her hand from her shoulder.  Kara’s eyes slid to the right and as Alex quickly repositioned herself in front of Kara her head lolled back before coming back, dropping forward in  an uncontrolled and overly relaxed manner. Kara swallowed once and the crinkle took its presence in her forehead as her head kept lolling, not reacting at all to Alex trying to shake her and call for  her name.  It was like her hearing was turned off.

From Kara’s point of view,  swivels and dots of color sparked her vision as  everything dimmed into horrible focus before fading into dark. Black was all she could see.  She heard nothing. Felt nothing.  She fought as good as she could  to stay afloat  but surrendered to the steady iron grip around her head, letting out a defeated low groan before losing all her senses.

“-That.” Brainy finished. 

Alex let out a worried whimper as Kara’s eyes slipped closed after rolling back in their sockets. “Nonono Brainy do something she’s passing out. Why is she passing out!” Alex paced, she had witnessed many people pass out and she herself had done it lots of times when in training and tough sparring sessions, and Alex was good at remaining calm and handling such situations professionally, but when it came to her adoptive sister, she lost it. She was her responsibility to protect and keep safe. Alex breathing labored and she continued shaking her limp sister by the shoulders. “Kara!”

Lena bit her lip in indecisiveness before she her firm grip landed around Alex’s arms and pulled her back, keeping her at an armlength from her sister who collapsed when Alex’s support disappeared. “Easy Alex, breathe. "Lena shushed. The CEO compared the incident at Noonan’s and concluded that this was exactly the same thing that happened. The flinch, sudden focus at something unimportant, loss of stimuli and attentiveness and then the pass out. Lena could’ve sworn she had seen it somewhere else too but focused on calming the kicking agent. Brainy nodded towards Lena. Kara luckily didn’t fall out of the bed, but one arm hanged limp outside of the mattress, her hand loosely and mindlessly curled as her fingers twitched. __

“It’s the parasite  Agent Danvers ,” Brainy began. “It looks rather terrifying , but I assure you she is in no pain during the attack. Although before she enters the state of the Paleabrax she suffers severe headaches, nausea-” Brainy stopped himself and cleared his throat as he lowered his eyes. “ It is the narcotic part of the virus kicking in, it’s trying to gather more area and brain tissue as we speak, knocking Kara out in the process. It is physically  and mentally  impossible for her to resist. It can happen like this or like an \- “

“Absence seizure,” Alex filled in as the puzzle pieces fell into place. “Wait, why is her fingers twitching? She’s unconscious . She passed out?” Alex asked as Lena slowly let her arms go.

“This is exactly what happened at Noonan’s and she twitched then too.  The finger twitching, she only does that she she’s-“

“Dreaming.” Alex filled in once again.   


Too many sisters' nights and too many game and movie nights had proven the blonde to be extremely exhausted by the time the clock passes eight. All her friends had getting used to the sound of Kara’s soft snores and mumbles accompanying the movie soundtracks during friend’s nights, and all of them had learned to sneak out in the most effective way to not wake the reporter with super hearing. 

They all knew that the reason to her easy reachable hibernation mode was because she felt comfortable around them, they knew that she slept bad and often had nightmares and knew that sleep didn’t seem so terrifying to the blonde when they all were there with her. It warmed all their hearts. That was why everyone knew her sleep tells, her twitching and soft mumbles indicating and telling her friends and family to snuggle her down on the couch and go sit in the kitchen to talk instead.

Alex was filled with questions. If someone was unconscious, it is impossible to dream anything. “Brainy. Explanation.”

 “Yes, Agent Danvers. This is the telltale attack of the creature on the side of Kara’s scalp. She is not unconscious by the meaning of passed out , but she is asleep and unresponsive. Think of it as a forced nap that you can’t wake them up from nor prevent from happening , in which they need to ride the attack out fully before returning to a state of consciousness. The attack generally causes its carrier to fall right into REM sleep or dream sleep as you lower intellects  call it. That explains the twitching you guys associate with her dream-.”

“Narcolepsy,” Lena muttered to herself, inaudible to the others in the room.

“What’s that?” Alex asked and turned to face the pondered look on Lena.

“Narcolepsy, it’s like narcolepsy, right Brainy?” Lena asked, lifting her head as the resemblance fell into place.  _ Nia.  _ It finally clicked.

“Yes, I suppose you could refer to the creature’s attacks as the narcolepsy attacks you humans can get if having the condition.  It’s A-phase is rather similar actually , not a bad comparison.” Brainy answers.

“Wait the disease? The Nia disease? Like the one she has? Also, A-phase?” Alex asked.

Both Brainy and Lena nodded. “The only difference is the length and consequences of the attacks, as your sister is going to and already is experiencing longer and more exhausting attacks, also her attacks could be painful, but we could supposedly give her medication for that. She’s currently exhibiting phase A in the Paleabrax. Phase A being the “narcolepsy” part, phase B being the increased vulnerability phase and phase C is when the parasite has managed to take control over more than 10% of her brain, it could...” Brainy stopped. “control her. Phase D being...death.””

Alex’s gut did three backflips and a summersault. “WHAT! No! We’ll rip the damn thing out! I’m not letting it take over my sister’s brain! Not today, not ever. That thing goes right now- “Alex was interrupted by Lena’s hand on her arm, preventing her stride towards her incoherently murmuring sister who’s not looking distraught at all, just looks like she’s napping peacefully.

 “You should not interfere with the creature, especially not during  its attacks. It would put Kara in  severe pain,  like the Black Mercy. It’ll  raise her fever  sufficiently and could then  put her into a coma.” Brainy said. The cold and calm of his voice ignited a fire within Alex. _ How could he be so calm?! How could Lena be so calm?! _ _ Why weren’t they freaked out?! _

“Then we fix a cure!” Alex yelled.

“There is none. She needs to ride this out alone Agent Dan \- “

“THEN WE INVENT ONE! Just stop! I’m not letting it hurt Kara!” Alex yelled again, yanking her arm free from Lena's grip.

“Alex, you need to sit down.  Brainy, thank you. Leave.” Lena ordered and  both obeyed.  Brainy did so very quick on his feet.


	8. Breakdown

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> another shortie :)  
> GuEsS whAT I DidN't ProOF tHiS oNE EiTheR

Alex crumbled onto the nearby chair in the room. Her hands catching her  sister’s twitchy hand. Her face fell as soon as Brainy left the room . Murmuring an assortment of curse words and angry mutters as a suppressed sob escaped her lips . 

Lena took a deep breath before she entered the med bay again after talking to Brainy and J’onn. She knew she needed to be the strong one now.  Be the beam of support when she’s needed to.  _ Be smart. _

“She’s probably dreaming about puppies you know,” Lena tried, receiving a soft chuckle from the older woman. 

“Yeah , probably ,” She sniffled.  “ or pot stickers.” Alex said, voice stuffy.

Lena let out a soft laugh. “Yeah,” She sat down next to her. 

“I can’t just watch her go through this, I just- I don’t- I can’t,” Alex choked as her voice broke into a whisper, unshed tears pooling her eyes as they met Lena’s.

“Hey, hey she doesn’t have to go through it alone, we are going to be here for her. We’ll make sure of it okay. I talked to Brainy and he said he couldn’t specify exactly how many but around 6-10 attacks a day. If you- So you know what to expect. Alex, we know she isn’t in any pain at all right now.” Lena said in the softest tone she could. Alex closed her eyes and turned her face away from Lena as she swallowed and forced away a cry. “Alex, “Lena began. “Hey, look at me.” she said, sharping her tone. “Alex you don’t have to be guarded around me, don’t shut your feelings off just because I'm here. I think this is hard too. Let’s be there for each other.” 

Alex took a deep breath before turning around, breaking when she turned around and met the small smile from Lena.

“Hey hey, shhhh,” Lena shushed. “It’s okay.”

“How long?” Alex sobbed. “How long til’ the virus dies or Kara d-”

“Hey hey, no.” Lena interrupted. “Kara isn’t going anywhere. Brainy said that was hard to pinpoint too but approximately 25 days, each phase being about 6 days if his calculations were correct. "The agent buried her head in her hands and breathed heavily. Lena noticed the sudden movements of Kara’s legs. Her toes wiggling just a little. 

“Hey Alex,” Lena said, not letting her eyes leave Kara as she put a hand on Alex shoulder. “look.”

/

Kara Danvers had only experienced one hangover in her entire life and was sure that was the worst thing she had experienced sick wise. This was worse. A pounding headache hammering in her head, she felt like the contents were being sloshed around behind her eyes. The ache radiated from the right side of her head and traveled over the back of her head, through her brain and landed behind her eyes. Straining a field of pain like a layer of cement inside her head. Her throat hurt too, dry and painful. She tried shifting her head to ease the paralyzing pain, only to be blessed with another hammer of pain that made her wince. Kara wished that the darkness that had now began to brighten would come back as it dulled the pain significantly, her eyes felt like they were going to be pushed out of their sockets. She defied the pain that beamed over her forehead when she pushed her crinkle forward, frowning as she clenched her eyes as much as she could to try and get as close as to the earlier darkness as she could. It helped a little. A slight pitch pierced her peaceful silence as it grew louder into a deafening whistle, Kara thought her eardrums were going to pop. She went to move her hands over her ears but only managed to lift the left one as she couldn’t get the other one to raise. It was stuck. Then came the sensation in her hand, on her arm. Feather-like touches circled over her arms as it grew stronger into a firm but very gentle hold. Then a pinch. Then the ringing stopped. Then her eyes exploded with white.  Kara took her time gathering her bearings and blinked one eye open and then the other. 

It was blurry at first, but Kara adapted quickly and could see her two favorite people standing next to her, both holding the same hand. Hers. 

“Hey, sis. Welcome back.” Alex said softly as she hid the medication tube under Kara’s hospital gown, she needed medicine to help with the pain that came with the attacks.

“alex? What is...? Oww my head...” Kara winced as her look flew around the room and landed on the two other females in the room. 

Lena swallowed and turned her head to Alex who had dried off her tears and managed to return her cool, gave her a nod as she swallowed again.

Alex sighed. How do you tell your sister that she has been infected with a parasite that will put her through hell and back, want to take over her brain and will kill her if they can’t fix a cure? 

/

“A what now is trying to do what now?” Kara yelled as Alex finished talking. “A what now is trying to take over my brain?! Hell no!” The blonde started stirring in her bed and soon began pulling at her tubes and IV: s, yanking her nutrition tube out and managing to suck at pulling out the other needles causing the little punctures to ooze with crimson blood.

“KARA! Stop!” Alex screamed as she flew up from her chair and started struggling against her sister. “You are dehydrated AND  malnourished , the parasite is using your energy and you pulling out these doesn’t help! You need it! Kara stop!”

The words seemed to land somewhere inside Kara, because she stopped for a moment when she registered what her sister said, only to start to take louder breaths through her nose, her face contorted in an angry manner. Alex had only seen that kind of angry from her sister before after waking up from the Black Mercy. Lena had never seen Kara look so threatening.

“Let. Me. Go. Alex.” she spat out. Her eyes locked on Alex hand that held her down. “Now.”

“Okay okay but let the needles be. Please.” Alex released her grip around Kara’s arm. “You need the-”

“Is there a cure?” Kara said, voice fuming.

Lena filled in. “Kara you know we are doing our best-”

“IS. THERE. A. CURE?” she interrupted again.

“No.” Alex let out a defeated sigh. “There isn’t right now but Kara that doesn’t mean-”

A whoosh interrupted her, a sharp wave of air slapped both Lena and Alex in their faces. The bed was empty. Kara’s bed was empty. She sped away.

Lena gulped and put a hand on the oldest sister’s shoulder. “She just needs time, Alex.”

Alex nodded but Lena could see all the emotions that waited to burst out. Alex held it in. Because Lena was there. A sting of disappointment struck Lena’s heart that Alex still didn’t let her walls down, but she figured she needed to leave, she needed to allow Alex to let her walls down alone. And she did. With the heartbreaking sound of a whimper and then a sob behind her as she exited the med bay, heart thumping and mind racing. 


	9. Isolated

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> things take a turn for the worst.
> 
>  
> 
> If anyone would ever need to talk. I am always providing support.  
> My twitter is @ emilydanvers2 and PLEASE do not hesitate to ask for help or engage contact with me, as i promise you i will answer. 
> 
> If you dont want to talk to me, especially if you feel like you are in a dark place, please, i beg you. Seek help. You are worth a happy life. There are multiple hotlines and online chats for those who dont like to meet up irl, but please, see after yourselves.
> 
> And if YOU are reading this. YOU are strong. YOU are a fighter, You can do this.

Two weeks passed. Kara isolating herself completely. Brainy was off on the calculations on how long it was going to take for phase A to be over.  _ So off.  _ Kara regularly had sleep and absence attacks, preventing her from working as good as Kara wanted to, and it pissed her off. After each Paleabrax she would just get more and more upset as they occurred. Kara decided that she wanted to be alone, she couldn’t bare the tinted pity that shone through all their looks and actions, it made her feel so vulnerable. She wasn’t vulnerable, she was stronger than that. Kara felt like she had a reputation to uphold, being the strongest individual on earth and so on. Isolating herself became a method for her to keep the condition in the dark as much as possible and remaining cold and emotionless when her friends tried to talk to her about it, like she was in denial about her current condition.  _ She was fine and don’t want to talk about it. There wasn’t anything to talk about. _

Alex only saw Kara if she visited her, as Supergirl was suspended from duty on undecided time. Lena only saw Kara at Catco, as the reporter had started to wake up earlier and leave before Lena could wake up. Although Lena suspected that the blonde might not just get up early, she didn't think Kara slept at all. Then Lena could see her at Catco and when she came home Kara had locked herself in their bedroom, pretending to be asleep when Lena came in. When the CEO advanced to try and make conversation, she was met with a hardened mask and cold eyes, so entirely different from her best friend.  _ "I don’t want talk about it. I’m fine. There isn’t anything to talk about... I need to go.” _

Maggie, Alex, Lena, Winn, Lucy, Sam, James, Nia. They all felt it. Felt  _ for _ Kara. Sympathy. They all noticed how she never spoke anymore, she pulled away and distanced herself. When they tried making conversation it was pretty much always a one-way one with Kara making little to no effort to participate in the dialogue. They noticed how she refused physical touch, such as hugs or handshakes. All of them, including Alex, couldn’t remember the last time they’ve hugged the reporter. It hurt Alex more than anyone. She knew that Kara was a very tactile person who  _ loved _ hugs and other physical contact, she had always been like that. But now, she rejected them.  _ Resented _ them. Kara isolated herself, physically and mentally. The group never saw her outside work or when they invited themselves for a visit. The suspended superhero called off game and movie nights and refused to go to the bar with them.

Kara bottled her feelings up. Built million pounds heavy walls around her mind. Distanced herself. Wouldn’t allow herself to feel or show anything. Not anger. Not joy, Not sadness. Not fear. Nothing. She was cold, dark. Like a stone. She sure as hell  _ felt _ like a stone. 

Kara never said anything and didn’t act interested when others spoke to her. Only talking business if she spoke. It was easier that way, not needing or wanting to deal with the heavyweights inside her. 

Kara Danvers the reporter was brilliant. Her articles always made the front page and she was getting famous for her amazing vocabulary and informative texts. Kara threw herself into work. It kept her focused. Kept her distracted from thoughts and feelings. Things that hurt.  _ Things that made her a burden. Things that spat on her superhero title, _

CatCo. Were Kara, Lena, Winn, James, Lucy and Nia worked. Were Lena, Winn, James, Lucy and Nia saw her every day, hoping to see the usually bubbly and happy blonde return when the elevator doors opened. But she didn’t. Instead a very worn-out looked excuse of Kara Danvers stepped in, her eyes dull and emotionless. Her clothes thrown on, no more cute cardigans and skirts. Black pants, dark tops. Sunglasses. An empty expression on her face. Cold tone and cold approach, only interested in the latest news, nothing else. Kara Danvers was gone. This was someone else.

Kara’s Paleabrax attacks got worse and occurred more often as time passed. Kara ate 4 pills a day to cope with the excruciating pain that came with the parasite attacking her brain. She hated it. 

The blonde had gotten better at hiding her attacks lately, a sixth sense warning her shortly before so that she could isolate herself before it happened. But sometimes, the sense didn’t work, and the blonde became helpless. It failed to tell her three times during work, leaving her friends to help her and deal with the emotional wreck after that came with it.

The first time it happened Winn was there. He passed Kara when she was alone at her desk, jotting away at her notepad with her third pen for the day. Later, when he returned from James’s photo lab. He got met with the not-so-discrete limp form of his best friend on the same place Kara sat in a few minutes ago. With a deep sigh and the information that all Kara’s friends had been told about her new condition, he shuffled to his desk and deposited everything he held and then half-jogged to Kara’s desk again. Her pen hanged limply in a weak grip in Kara’s twitchy hand, drawing small scribbles and dots on the notepad as she trembled over it. Her glasses were smushed against the desk and it was the first time Winn saw Kara without her crinkle or a sad look on her face. A part of him didn’t want to wake her, she looked so peaceful and not... so depressed and cold and emotionless and angry and miserable and tired and... 

Winn knew it wasn’t right. So, he had woken her. Resulting in a millisecond of confusion, then a painful realization and an upset Kara storming towards the ladies’ room. Her face buried in her elbow as she sobbed in it when she ran towards the toilets. Winn stood there by the star reporter’s desk, shock releasing its grip around his waist as his heart broke when his once best friend slammed the bathroom door shut behind her. 

The second time it happened it was during a meeting. A meeting which 10 people, in which James, Winn, Lucy, Nia and Lena was five of those. Lena held the meeting, having a presentation of the latest news and info about upcoming articles in all their departments. The meeting was good, Kara only contributing to the conversation when spoken to, and then with a cold and distant tone. Speaking nothing more than professional, platonic shaping her formal phrasing, lacking her usual easy banter and timid expressions.

Kara didn’t have a sleep attack; she didn’t pass out like she did at the desk. But she had an absence. So severe  _ everyone  _ at the meeting noticed. Of course, luck wasn’t on their side as Lena had asked Kara a question right before she froze in place, resulting in concern and commotion when the CEO received no answer. Lena had reacted quickly and dismissed the meeting immediately and cleared the room. She had pulled the blinds down to keep Kara away from prying eyes and as she knew the reporter was sensitive to light when she came back. When she returned, Kara was still looking at the desk, hand paused on the notepad. Lena had waited her out. Outside, James, Winn, Lucy and Nia stood by Kara’s desk. They didn’t say anything; they had just stood there. Then the door flew open and a miserable Kara Danvers stormed out towards her desk before she noticed the group that stood there, and she had let out a sob as she dead-turned on her heels, burying her face in her arms as she, once again, ran towards the bathroom with her arm muting the sobs that escaped her lips. Her friends using all the drops of self-control they had stored to not break down and chase after her, comfort her. She didn’t want that, they knew that, she had made it clear. But that didn’t change the impulse to want to surround the blonde and hug her until she felt better. They all had to reject it. But it hurt. A tear splattered against the glass table where Lena stood with her hands on for support. She sniffled and texted Alex. Three words was all she got down and managed to send before she too broke, locking herself in the meeting room until she had calmed down.

** To Alex: Absence. 3 minutes **

The third time it happened, it was bad. Right in front of a CEO of another successful media brand during an interview. Lena and Kara were interviewing Yana Foley, CEO of Trot-Trot, a social media platform. They had been sitting at a café, Noonan’s to be exact. Lena next to Kara and them both in front of Ms. Foley. 

** *Flashback* **

_ "So, if you... if you- yeah that’s... mm...” Kara stuttered and mumbled as her words died out in her mouth, her eyes locked onto the coffee cup that stood placed on the table in front of her. Kara closed her mouth and took a breath through her nose. Lena sighed and excused Ms. Foley, telling her that she would call her, and Ms. Foley was gone within 15 seconds. Lena let out another sigh in helplessness. She and the others were starting to recognize certain behaviors from the reporter when she was slipping into an episode. She usually stuttered, slurred and didn’t make any sense. She would take one single big deep breath and lock her eyes somewhere. Then her head would eventually start to loll around, that’s where Kara needed her friends. It was important to not let her fall, as she was vulnerable during the attacks. And when Kara had an episode, she would crumble down right on the spot. “It is important to protect her head,” Alex had said during the emergency meeting about Kara’s condition and how they could help her. “She undergoes cataplexy, meaning she can’t control if she falls down flat on the ground. So, we need to control it for her.” _

_ Lena extracted the notepad and pen from Kara’s hands, took both of the reporter’s hands and crossed them, securing them in a firm grip as she was instructed. She slipped her right arm under Kara’s and supported her stiff roommate, holding her waist on the other side, keeping her up straight in the chair. Kara took another deep breath and closed her eyes as her head dropped forward. Lena had read the situation well and caught the blondes' forehead before it would drop too far down. The Luthor gently shifted the youngest's head backwards, placing her now limp head on the CEO’s shoulder. _

_ When Lena had roused the youngest again, nothing but despair was shown in her eyes. Then disappointment and anger tinted them darker. Lena felt helpless. Everything she had wanted to say to Kara, had tried to say even, it just disappeared from her memory. Her mind went blank and the words she wanted to say wasn’t within reach. _

_ Lena just sat there and looked at Kara when the reporter shook off her hands, gathered her things and stuffed them into her purse. Then she paced away around the corner. Then a flash of red and blue was seen in the sky. Lena still sat with her arms now in her lap at the café table at Noonan’s. _

** *End flashback* **

Those three times were the only three she had gotten a Paleabrax attack at work. Yet. 

Kara’s method to cope had been to isolate herself and hide when she couldn’t hold the wall up anymore. Lena hated it, missed her best friend and roommate and despised the new girl that had replaced her. She missed their easy banter, joking and teasing, trying to teach the reporter how to cook and missed the cuddly blonde she once knew. She hated that the girl who used to mean the world to her as her first and best friend, was suddenly gone. 

When Kara was growing exhausted of all the pretending and upholding off emotions, she resorted to something else. And that’s exactly how method number two started, in the middle of a mental breakdown a cold night in the beginning of October. Kara had fallen in the same trap as Alex once was in and Kara once had warned Lena not to fall into when she was in a dark place. A trap that didn’t just hurt her, but deeply hurt all her friends and family too. 

Alcohol.


	10. Coping Method Number Two.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> featuring a lot of drunk Kara  
> my favourite chapter :P

Kara was growing tired of her feeling like she’s constantly being torn apart from the inside. Tired of the aching pain in her skull and the ever so humiliating realization after waking up. She needed something to dull it, to numb it and replace it. And she did, finding comfort on the bottom of Aldebaran rum bottles. She had started to drink it more as she noticed she felt lighter after a few swigs. She had broken down in the bedroom, shaking and screaming. Hands over her ears, tears drenching her cheeks. She broke, she couldn’t think. Lena wasn’t home. Kara was desperate, made her way to the bar and drowned herself until the bartender refused to serve anymore alcohol and then went home and straight to bed. She felt really bad the day after, but then later the same night found that the rum seemed to ease that guilt too. It became a vicious circle. Her drinking herself into a barely conscious state was becoming a daily routine, she grew addicted to feeling the weights lifting of her shoulders, chest and head. It was such a satisfying feeling, and yet she couldn’t seem get enough of it.

The first time Kara had been caught at the bar drinking her mind out was by Maggie. It was the first time her family and friends felt the need to keep an eye on her regarding alcohol in the future. It was the fifth night in a row Kara was at the bar, but first as far as her family and friends knew.

They all hated it. It wasn’t Kara.

_ Maggie had been feeling bored and decided to stop by the bar and play a game of pool or something. Alex had been working night shift that night, and the eerily apartment seemed to echo in lack of the agent. No good shows were on TV and the couple had forgotten to pay their bill in time, meaning no Netflix. _

_ Upon entering the bar, the humid, sweat-warm air engulfed her and almost made her gag. It was a quiet night outside, only a few couples with dogs and some adolescents who skated and kick-biked in the park. The bar was only lit up by the fluorescent lamp that hanged over one of the two pool tables, swaying slightly. The detective made her way to the bar, ordering something weaker, making small conversation with the bartender. Maggie payed for the drink as soon as she got it as she figured it wasn’t going to be a long night. The detective made her way to the pool table with her drink in hand, placed herself in front of the cues, observing and noticing that her standard cue was occupied meaning that left her with two options. Too long or too short. Too long she decided. As the detective set down her drink and bent down to the small built-in shelf on the side of the pool table to pick the blue chalk cube up, she saw someone downing a shot in her peripheral vision, the standard flick of arm and head backwards and then the light headshake and sour expression told Maggie that it was someone who was new to drinking. Still focused on chalking her cue, Maggie didn’t turn around to see who it was that was drinking, as it seemed it was only a few people inside the bar. It was pretty late though Maggie figured. But when Maggie stood up again after lifting the triangle that held the balls into place, she saw a flash of blonde, then the arm and head-flick again. Maggie squinted her eyes in the dark bar, searching through the darkness. It was Kara. ‘Since when does she drink?’ Maggie thought. ‘All alone?” _

_ It clicked. A shiver shot through Maggie’s spine. She dropped her cue to the floor. Alex had told her about the situation with Kara and how she had been distant and cold. All the times Alex broke at home in Maggie’s arms from the frustration of not getting through to her sister had been fueling Maggie herself. Maggie had known Kara for so long now that she thought of her like a little sister, meaning her responsibility to protect and keep in order. ‘So this was how she was coping? Alcohol?’  _

_ Four strides later she put both of her hands on the table in the booth Alex’s sister was in, bending over the table in an accusing manner. The table was littered in empty bottles, a broken glass and a concerning amount of shot-glasses. Maggie glared at the reporter. If looks could kill and Kara was vulnerable, the drinking alien would be dead as a rock. _

_ “Kara, what are you doing?” Maggie finally said, breaking the silence as she understood Kara wasn’t going to acknowledge her presence, hell, if she even noticed her standing there. _

_ Kara was slow in her movements. ‘Shit’ Maggie thought. This was bad. Her demeanor showed nothing but ‘Hey I'm completely hammered, wanna join?’ _

_ Maggie’s heart stung at the sight of the usually so very alert and happy blonde. Who used to always laugh and when at the bar during friends’ night she only drank soda and filled the air with jokes and dorkiness. She missed that Kara.  _

_“H-Hey you! You L’kk like someone I kn’w! *Giggle*_ _You know-_ ** _*_** _Hiccup* I- I These sofas are soooooo sooooft.” Kara started running her hand over the cushions of the booth. “Sooooo_ ** _*_** _hiccup* soft Mags,”_

_ Maggie winced; this was bad, worse than she thought.  _

_ “And th’s tabol, wooooooow it’s sooooooooo pr’tyy!” Kara said as she moved to rub her hands over the table, only for them to be caught in Maggie’s firm grip. Kara tried looking at Maggie but saw doubles and picked the wrong one. “Kara what are you doing here alone? How much have you had to drink?” _

_ Kara took her time answering. She wiggled a hand free from the detective's grip, holding her index finger and thumb up with a millimeter-wide gap in between. “Just thiiiiiiiiis much, *giggle hiccup*” Kara giggled again as Maggie tried pulling her up from her seat only for her to give up seconds later, she was too heavy. “Heheha-*hiccup* ha,” Kara stretched a hand out to grab the glass that stood on the table, halfway filled with amber liquid that she for now only knew made her feel better. She put her lips against her glass after missing her mouth once only for it to be snatched out of her hand with a “Heey!” escaping her lips. Kara puckered her lips and pouted like a child that had their toy taken away before she lit up and giggled again. “Oh, did you want to try? Ohhhhhhhhh,” _

_ “No Kara, I don’t want any of it and you aren’t getting anymore either. End of discussion you are coming with me right now or I'll arrest you for public intoxication.” Maggie's voice was cold and upset, the glass she snatched almost shattering in her hands vibrating in anger. Although she was glad that the younger woman was a happy and friendly drunk, she was furious by the fact that she was drinking like a full-fletched alcoholic by herself in the middle of the night when Maggie was pretty sure she’s never seen her even a little tipsy before.  _

_ Kara made a silly face. “But I’m- But I’m in a bar-” _

_ “Stand up or handcuffs.” Maggie said. _

_ Kara held her hands up as she giggled again, opening her mouth to say something only to be interrupted by another hiccup. “Okay mister... I mean miss Police....woman haha-*giggle* wait,” Kara held out her hands to the detective, waiting for Maggie to cuff her. This wasn’t expected by Maggie, she thought Kara would get out. She was teasing Maggie. If only she knew how much Maggie wasn’t in the mood for joking right now. “Kara, quit playing. You can barely sit up. You aren’t someone who should be drinking her feelings, you are not that kind of person-” _

_ “YOU DON’T KNOW ME!” Kara was suddenly angry, the effects of the alcohol only fueling her anger in her haze. “You don’t know anythin’!” _

_ Maggie shook her head. “Yes, I do. Now quit it and get out and let’s get you home. Now. Immediately.” _

_ Kara actually obeyed and turned silent. Giggled again for some reason. Completely out of it. _

_ After four failed attempts of standing up Maggie heaved her up and held her steadily as the blonde relied all her weight on Maggie, not even trying to stay up straight. Kara’s legs were wellied, swaying and weak. Paralyzed. Maggie had slapped cash on the counter as they made their way out, hoping and praying that it was way too much money. It wasn’t. It was only half. Kara had drunken three and a half bottles (!!!) of the most concentrated Rum on earth.  _

_ ‘Great.’ Maggie thought. ‘Only a moment until-” Kara’s gag interrupted her thoughts. The reporter fell to her knees and hurled, throwing up and coughing and spitting until she was done. “Ughck” _

_ “Car. Now.” Maggie said as she pulled Kara from her knees in a not-so-friendly manner. Maggie was determined to show that this was NOT an acceptable behavior from her. Ever. _

After this incident, Maggie had hoped that she wouldn’t ever see Kara at the bar again without her friends. Hoping that she listened to Alex and J’onn, hoped she learned her lesson that chest pumps sucked and if her family couldn’t teach her a lesson maybe the hangover could.

Maggie was  _ so _ wrong. 

As soon as the next night Lena received a text message, the first in weeks from her roommate.

**_ K: Hullo Lena::))))))))))) _ **

**_ L: Hey Kar, what's up? You feeling okay? I heard what happened yesterday. _ **

**_ K: Amazzzzzingggg _ **

**_ L: Okay I suppose that’s good, but you do know we need to talk about it? Like I knew you never drink, and Maggie said you had been drinking for 200 dollars. That’s a lot. _ **

**_ K: Sirry I cant hear what ur saying its so loud _ **

**_ L: Hear what? I'm texting Kara, there is nothing to hear. Are you okay? _ **

**_ K: On the top of the wooorld _ **

**_ L: Okay, so if I track your phone you’re not going to be at the bar? _ **

**_ K: nope _ **

**_ L: So you’re not drunk? _ **

**_ K: nah _ **

**__ **

**_ L: Really? Prove it. _ **

_ Lena opened her contacts and called Kara in slight distress as she didn’t like the thought of her best friend drinking today again after the serious incident yesterday. Kara wouldn’t be THAT stupid, would she? She’s not that broken, right? _

**_ “Leeeenaaaaaaaaaa heyyy” _ **

_ “Seriously Kara? Again? Didn’t you listen to anything they said yesterday?” Lena stressed, aggravated by how the words rolled off Kara’s tongue and seemed to bleed into each other. _

**_ “Hmmmmm noooope not really *giggle*”  _ ** _ Kara slurred.  _ **_ "You know, I don’t even know *hiccup* what you’re talking about, alsooooo why do you careeeee? Don’t ‘shew have workk?” _ **

_ Lena closed her eyes and took a frustrated deep breath. Tried to not fell hurt by Kara asking why she cared. Of course she cared. _

_ “Kara. I’m not stupid. We’ve been friends long enough for me to know exactly when you’re drunk or not. Now, where are you? I’m coming to get you.” _

**_ “Ousside” _ **

_ “You’re outside? It's raining why are you- *sigh* you know what? I’ll just track you down. It’s easier and I really have to get you home. Don’t hurt yourself. And for the love of god don’t you dare take another sip!” _

_ Kara just giggled and Lena could’ve sworn she heard her friend hiccupping and giggling her way through the verse of a N’Sync song. Lena texted her driver and then she was out the door, Kara still on the other end of the line. _

**_ “You know somethin? Rain is reeeeeeally cooool, I promis’ you, like it’s waterrr but where does it from come? -I mean come from *hiccup’” _ **

_ Lena pinched the bridge of her nose.  _

_ “Kara, how much have you had to drink and what did you drink?” _

_ A short pause as the intoxicated processed the question.  _

**_ “I dunno, this guy made some pr’tty god cocktailsss I mean.... wow and Lena! They were green! Mmmmmmm like your eyes and wow you are goin’ to e’ sooooooooo mad at meee *giggle* uh-oh *hiccup* Shoot.” _ **

_ “What”" _

**_ “Nothin’.... just tripped a little. I’m fineeee, everything is fineeeeeee, the world is fiiiiiine.” _ **

_ “Kara. I told you to sit still, I am coming to get you I just want you on the line with me. How much did you drink?” _

_ “ _ **_ I dunoo maybe twenty-six......... or no seventy-four. Shoot I can’t remem-*hiccup* ber...” _ **

_ “Twenty-six!? I hope to god you have just lost your mathematical abilities because you are so drunk and you’re not being real in telling me you have taken more than twenty-five shots of the strongest alcohol on earth!” Lena yelled into the phone. “You could be dead if you took that many! Don’t you understand that it’s dangerous?!” _

_ Kara made a sound of confusion.  _ **_ "Dangerous? Noooooonono It’s nice you should try Lenaaaaa. Wow did you know your name is really funny. Leeeeenaaaaaaaa. Leeeenaaaaaa*hiccup*aaaaa,” _ **

_ The car halted to a stop and Lena paced out of it. Clad in her MIT-sweater, sweatpants and a messy bun, phone pressed against her ears as her eyes scanned for a lost blonde outside the bar. The slurred voice that belonged to her best friend talking nonsense in her ear as she began walking up the street.  _

**_ “You know, Leeeenaaaa did I tell you how cool rain is? Like wow.”  _ ** _ Kara took a pause as she swallowed absentmindedly. “ _ **_ "oh well hello to you to,” _ **

_ Kara had adapted a strange tone Lena never had heard before. _

_ “Who are you talking-” Lena ceased her voice as soon as what sounded like kisses reached her ear. Kara wasn’t seeing anyone; she was still getting over her last relationship. Kara was alone, drunk and outside. So why the hell could Lena hear kissing and giggles, and what sounded like a breathless Kara’s mumbling something? _

_ The brunette speeded up, half-jogging in her flats, bun hopping up and down as she made her way up the alley, following the tracker signal.  _

**_ “And who- *kiss sound* are you, man with nice hair?”   _ ** _ Kara whispered flirtatiously, Lena could her smile through the phone. It was nice knowing that the reporter maybe was happy for once, but it was destroyed by the fact that probably was due to her drunken state and not due to pure happiness. _

_ Kara must’ve forgotten she was on the phone, Lena hearing everything going on.  _ **_ "Wooooooow”  _ ** _ Kara whispered in between kisses and breaths. The CEO had to fight every urge to rip the phone away from her ear, she didn’t want to hear any of this. But something said to Lena that Kara really wasn’t aware what was happening. _

_ The sweater clad woman stepped around the corner, squinting through the dark of the night, barely making out two silhouettes. A flash of blonde beneath a form that hunched over her. _

_ “Hey! Leave her alone or you can taste a damn prosecution!” Lena yelled to the form that were towering over her friend, pinning the blonde down on the wet cement. “I said let her go!” _

_ The silhouette stopped moving, Lena thought she saw it turning around. “And who the hell are you?” A cold, unfamiliar voice said. No slurring or chipped speech. This dude was stone-cold sober.  _

_ It took every ounce of Lena’s dignity to not take a hit at the man who clearly took advantage of the intoxicated girl. “Someone who is going to destroy your entire life if you are not gone in three seconds. Let her go. Immediately.” _

_ The man chuckled, mumbled a few words before pressing a quick kiss to the reporter’s cheek and whispered an ‘I’ll be back.” before leaving. The brunette, who paid close attention, hissed. “You most certainly will not be.”  _

_ When the blonde still laid still, splayed out on the rainy pavement, after the man had released his grip Lena rushed to her side, finding her passed out. The amount of alcohol she drank finally catching up with her. Lena texted Alex about the situation and three minutes later the two of them hauled Kara’s limp form up from the ground, Alex holding her sister’s upper body and Lena Kara’s legs. The drunk one of them occasionally slipping awake only to mumble their names once or twice before passing out again. She was wasted, drunk out of her mind. The other women had never seen her in this state before, and Kara had never been as deep in it as she was now. Unable to answer simple questions, only able to occasionally curve her lips upwards and or reach out to something in the air that wasn’t there. It was devastating. _

**__ **

That night followed with Kara being hooked up to machines all night, puking her stomach out. They had to pump her chest again, terrified she would obtain alcohol poisoning. But the worst part about it was why she was so drunk that she was. What if Kara never would’ve texted Lena? What would’ve happened then in the alley with the man if Lena wasn’t there to stop it? Was Kara so broken she needed to drink to forget? Had she taken inspiration from Alex’s past? Was this all Alex’s fault? 

One week passes. Alex and Lena thinking they kept a close eye on Kara 24/7. Except they didn’t, when they all finally fell asleep nothing could stop the superhero from making it to the bar. Some days, when she was in desperate need for relief during the day she would stealthily be drinking just below her slurred-speech level to not raise any further suspicions.

They couldn’t know. But they already knew. 

The alcohol coping mechanism was working way too great for Kara to stop, and soon enough both Alex and Lena had picked her up from the bar multiple times. She had been slammed, drunk until the point of no memory at all. Giggling and hiccupping as all her friends took their turns on different days to try and convince her to stop and get out. It just seemed so funny. Everything was so funny when she was drunk. That’s why she loved it.

One night, Lena paced around the apartment as black took over the night-sky, Kara wasn’t home, and she knew that Kara weren’t at CatCo. Lena’s heart clenched at the thought of her best friend downing glasses tonight again. That would mark eight days. She still went to the bar. Lena knew it and had known it all along but didn’t dare to interfere. It hurt Lena so badly. Alex had been sleeping at their apartment for the past three days, as they needed combined help to handle the drunk when she bothered to show, so she was also home, pacing in circles. Both of the elder women were going towards their breaking points with Kara. They couldn’t stop her, Kara was stronger than them both and if she wanted to drink she would be able to. The only thing the elder women could to was to try and talk sense into her before she escaped the apartment the day after. 

Lena was worried and showed it. Alex was worried too but she only showed she was angry instead. “I swear if she’s in that damn bar again I’ll cuff her to the bed forever and force her to throw up all the alco-”

“Alex, stop I- I don’t want to hear it.” Lena interrupted; eyes heavy with sadness. 

Alex nodded and looked down. “You coming with me to the bar?”

Lena also nodded. “Of course, she’s still my best friend.”

But right before either of them was able to get out of the door the handle pressed down and the handle rattled on the door. Both Lena and Alex took an instinctive step back. The door opened ever so slightly, a familiar head popping out from the small opening of the door. “Hi,” Her lipstick had been smeared onto her chin and cheeks, her face flushed and her eyes telling more than enough to know what she has been up to.

Alex tensed her shoulders. “Kara! Where have you been? Gosh, you made us so worried!”

The elder Danvers was interrupted with a finger pressed over her lips. Kara’s. “Shhhhhhh, you’re *hiccup* screaaaming,” the reporter slurred. 

Both women winced at the smell reeking from the blonde. She stunk of alcohol. Lots of it. Alex jaw hit the floor as she examined her little sister when the rest of her body had stumbled inside to shush her.

“WHAT are you wearing Kara?! And how much have you been drinking?! You reek!”

The blonde only had a tight skirt on her lower half of her body, her feet without anything on them. And on her torso was only a blazer that wasn’t even hers, it was a man's blazer that neither women recognized. It covered the important parts, but the blazer was open and her skin showed increasingly underneath it. “KARA! Where are your clothes?!”

The reporter just giggled. “He took them ha ha *giggle* ha”

Lena frowned. “Who took them?”

“The niceeeee guy with sooooooft lipssssss mmmmmmmm.” Kara slurred as she swayed back and forth. Kara’s hair was a mess of blonde tangles and her feet were covered in soot. Her wrists were coated in angry red marks that poked out of the sleeves. Alex rushed to her sister to hold the blazer closed in her fist as it was growing more revealing as Kara swayed. “Hey,” Kara hiccupped. “Handssss off, I'm takeen.” She flicked her hand and fluttered her fingers to show off a ring that wasn’t there. “We’re marrid’” Then she made an attempt of brushing Alex’s hands off her only for them to be caught in the air by Alex’s other hand. Kara looked like she was caught with her hand in the cookie jar before breaking into laughter. “Aleexxxx he was such’ a g’d kisser woooooow and in bed he-”

“Kara, stop. We don’t want to now. Was it the same man from when I picked you up in the alley last week?” Lena interrupted, receiving another giggle and a burp from the the blonde in response, clearly oblivious to any question that had been asked.

 “You, Kara Zor-El Danvers, are in very much trouble. Now sit down on the couch and we are going to have a nice little talk. Right Lena?” Alex decided to speak clearly and as easily understood as possible, as she wasn’t sure of her sister's ability to take in information. She just knew that Kara needed a big fat scolding and lots of fluids to regulate her blood-alcohol levels.

Lena nodded. “Yes.”

/

“You guysss’ are sooooo boring *hiccup*” Kara pouted. “Like sooooooooooo fucking boring.” Lena stared holes in Kara who made an unapologetic face after dissolving into laughter again. “Whaaat? Did I say something baaaad?” Her laughter was interrupted with a pinch in her arm. “Oaaaw!” Kara whimpered. “Hey!” She made a move to pull out the needle. 

“Do not touch it or I will sedate you.” Alex’s voice booming, dead serious. 

Kara made a nervous giggle “Ha ha *hiccup* you wouldn’t...”

“Try me.”

Kara then, in her slammed state, made the stupid decision to taunt Alex, so she lifted her unpunctured arm and moved it in slow-motion towards the needle as she smiling held eye contact with her big sister. Clearly succeeding in pissing off Alex the elder Danvers reached into a med kit that stood on standby, pulling out a syringe that held a transparent liquid with a tint of green. Lena didn’t waste a second. “Hey! No! Alex put it down don’t be dumb.” Lena said with Kara smirking over her shoulder. “Hey, I know what you’re feeling but she’s just teasing. She’s drunk Alex.”

“Thank you Lena my bestbestbest friend in the wholeeeeeeeee woooorld” Kara slurred.

Lena’s heart clenched again at her friend who could barely keep her eyes open, and not due to the Paleabrax. “You, Kara. Are not- This is not OK. Not anywhere. But you’re not fitted to talk right now. You need to sleep it off. Alex, a word?”

Alex angry glare lingered on Kara who contently rolled over and closed her eyes, succumbing to the liquor and exhaustion immediately. She was going to be out for hours. “Fine.”

Before leaving the living room area she adjusted Kara’s IV and pulled a blanket over her broken sister, silent tears spilling over her cheeks when she pressed a kiss to her sister's temple. “I’m sorry Kara, it’s my fault you won’t talk to me. I’m supposed to be your big sister and you finding more comfort in a bottle than with me hurts... so bad.” Alex voice broke into a whisper. “I see so much of myself in you Kara. Please don’t do this to yourself. I love you too much. There is so many other ways.”

She looked at her sister for a few moments more before standing up and wiping the tears of her face with the back of her hand, knowing damn well Kara didn’t hear a word of what she just said.


	11. Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> oOoooOoOo scary confrontations

Gunshot wound. That’s what it felt like. Not that Kara would know what that felt like but she thinks she’s pretty close with the resemblance. 

Kara Danvers was now getting used to wake up with a hangover. But this was something else. Something more. Beneath the nausea, headache, guilt and grogginess that came with a hangover and the searing pain that came from the Paleabrax Kara felt bad.  _ Correction.  _ Worse. Her head was banging like a bass drum and it pounded so loud that Kara could feel the bass vibrating inside her. Warm started taking form in her throat, heating her mouth and throat up and then it burned. A quick second of anxiety over the new sensation later bile shot out of her stomach so forcefully Kara fell out of the couch and onto all four on the floor. Her back arched as she hurled all contents in her stomach in the already prepared sick bucket. Anxiously gripping both sides of the bucket as she retched. When she was done, she spat once, twice before collapsing on the floor on her back with a groan. Gracefully accepting the cold wooden floor against her heated skin.

“Look who’s awake.” Alex said nonchalantly as she kept reading the newspaper, not bothering to let her eyes leave the yellow tinted magazine. 

“Aleeeexxx I’m dyinggg...” Kara groaned; her eyes pinched closed to ease the throbbing in her skull.

“No, you’re not. You are just getting what you deserve.” 

Kara didn’t recognize the hostility in Alex’s voice and wondered for a quick second if it actually was her sister she was talking to. The thought passed quickly though, as the memories came flooding back.  _ The guy in the bar, their kiss, other stuff, drinks, she thinking he was so funny, more drinks. Drinking games and Never have I ever, him getting too close and her accepting it.  _ Then it was blank for a moment.  _ One thing leading to another. Her not finding her clothes. Her stumbling inside her apartment. Alex’s disappointed eyes and Lena’s worried ones. How stupid she had acted. The IV. _ Kara lifted her right arm and saw the tube still pumping fluid and medicine into her body. She shut her eyes. _ She was so embarrassing. Oh my god Alex and Lena weren’t supposed to know. Where are my clothes? I’m so stupid. How will they ever trust me now? I won’t be able to get ahold of anymore alcohol. Shit this is bad, bad, bad. I’m going to feel so bad without it. _

“Oh my Rao,” Kara whispered.

“Hmm, what’s that?” Alex said in the same tone. “Remembering your stupidity from yesterday? Hmm?”

“Alex I- I'm sorry I don’t-”

“Oh save it!” Alex slammed the magazine down and stomped halfway to where the Kara lied, holding an accusing finger in the air. “You don’t get to say you’re sorry. Because you’re not! You’re just saying that so that we can forgive and forget and you can run straight back to Aldebaran Rum. I’m not stupid Kara! I’ve been there myself and you doing this breaks me in a way I don’t know how to handle. It’s one thing seeing you get injured in a fight, but you  _ intentionally _ damaging yourself makes me want to scream and yell and cry. Kara, I get that you are in a bad place right know because of your condition, but you hurt  _ me _ when you drink yourself stupid. And you hurt Lena! So much! Do you even know how broken Lena is? She cries herself to sleep every night. Every night Kara! You did that, you’re the reason your best friend cries until she passes out because she’s worried sick about you. You are the reason I break down at work when I can’t figure out the stupid cure!”

Alex took a pause to prevent the tears from falling.

“You resorting to alcohol instead of me, your sister, hurt me so much. You barely talk anymore, and I never see you. Lena and the rest of your friends barely know you anymore and we can’t remember the sound of your laugh. It’s sad Kara. It’s so sad. And we try and talk to you. Try to get you to open up. We try to support you and be there. We work our asses off to help you and this is what we get?! An alcoholic? You have pulled away and isolated yourself for weeks and I get that the parasite sucks but normally you would seek comfort or support from us but you just lock us out, you don’t allow yourself to feel anything and you are making bad decisions. I have come to my breaking point with you. This ends now and you are never touching alcohol again.”

Kara stood mute. She hadn’t even noticed she had started crying until a drop of salt traced her jawline before letting go and splashing onto her arm. She didn’t know what to say. Alex was right. Maybe she was an alcoholic. At least she behaved like one. But she couldn’t help it. She needed it, it saved her from those feelings that tore her apart. The alcohol made living with the Paleabrax less painful. 

Kara opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted by another gag and shot up in a straight sitting position before heaving once again into the bucket. When the reporter looked up, Lena was there too, And J’onn. And James, Winn, Eliza, Clarke, Sam, Nia and Lucy. They were all there. It looked like a stupid surprise party of sorts and Kara couldn't keep herself from letting out a groan as she dragged herself up and hid in the cushions of the couch. She didn’t want them to see her. Not like this. She had avoided them for that very reason. A voice broke Kara out of her train of thoughts as she laid face down into the sofa.

“I miss your laughter.” A tone Kara recognized to be Nia’s said, her voice dripping in insecurity and heavy with sadness.

Another pause without Kara saying anything, before another familiar voice talked.

“I miss joking with you and you making fun of my nerf gun,” Winn said, his voice equally sad and uncertain.

“I miss your hugs and bubbly personality,” Sam said.

“I miss my coworker’s awkward demeanor and her laughter filling the room.” Lucy said.

When the next voice was heard, Kara broke, a sob failing to be muted against the pillow she pressed against her face.

“I miss my cousin.” Clark said.

“And I miss my best friend.” Lena said, her voice trembling and breaking into a whisper.

“I miss my daughter.” Eliza said.

“I do too.” J’onn said.

There was a short pause with Kara’s sobs being the only thing that was heard.

“And I miss my sister.” The last person said with a tone no others had. It was angry, it was disappointed. Made Kara feel small and stupid. Made her realize what she had done.

Fifteen minutes passes with Kara still sobbing onto the sofa. No one talking or moving in the apartment. The blonde just hoping that she was dreaming or that she had imagined everything. When she turned her head and met the sad looks of everyone she knew she broke again, this time without hiding. Full-fletched crying, screaming and shaking her head. Soon enough the ever-so-missed warmth of her older sister’s arms were around her. Then her adoptive mother’s. Then Lena’s and Winn’s and everyone else’s in the room. A massive group hug. Everyone finally getting to envelop the reporter in safety and support as they had wanted to all along.

“Kara.” Alex said softly as she held her sister close. “We are going to all get through this together, you are not alone. Just promise us you’ll never drink like that again.”

A nod against Alex’s chest as her sister quivered beneath her touch but Alex wanted her to say it. Wanted the others to hear it. “You have to say it Kara.”

The blonde took a shaky breath before sobbing out “I promise to never drink like that again.” before she once again broke into heavy sobs. Her family and friends still hugged her, everyone holding and surrounding Kara but  this time  she didn’t feel trapped, she felt loved.  Although tights spaces never gave her a comfortable feeling. 

The short haired agent noticed her sister’s breathing become irregular as time passed. 

“Hey, Kara. Deep breaths. You’re okay. Deep breaths. No panic attacks. Deeeeeep breaths,” Alex instructed, the younger sibling doing her best to follow. Her friends and Eliza impressed by how effective Alex was with her sister and how Kara visibly relaxed under her guidance. It really showed that Alex was experienced with helping Kara in these situations. A few minutes later her breathing was under control and the hug dissolved. 

“I’m so so so sorry,” Kara choked out. “I’m so sorry, really, I’m so sorry everyone I have let you down and failed and I'm a terrible friend, coworker, cousin, daughter, sister and superhero. I’m so so sorry-”

“Hey,” Sam’s voice interrupted as she knelt to Kara’s figure on the couch. “Stop, you are not feeling better about saying that and we certainly are not either. Stop punishing yourself, you have done it enough already. Now please, accept our help and never ever do something like this again.”

Kara nodded but cleared her throat after she met the prodded look of her sister. “I promise.”

All the visitors met her with a warm smile and took their turns giving Kara a hug before leaving. Only Alex and Lena stayed. Those were the ones Kara needed the most right now. Her sister and best friend.


	12. Sick

As soon the apartment fell empty vomit jolted out of her throat. But this time when she lurched, a hand rubbed across her back and another held her hair away for the line of fire. The contrast between this and the last time she threw up alone on the cold floor made such an impact on Kara, she realized what she had been missing. She began sobbing again after she was done emptying the already empty contents of her stomach. The bucket was taken from her as Alex exchanged the plastic bag inside it with a fresh one. The agent wanted to be able to keep track of her intakes and outtakes, so to say. Lena pulled the hungover girl in her arms and hugged her tightly. 

/ 

The day passed without much action. The older women taking care and comforting the youngest. 

Kara slept most of the day, her depriving of sleep finally catching up with the reporter who had avoided it for as long as she could, only finally succumbing to exhaustion when Alex gently scratching through her hair and Lena’s comforting rubs on her back worked their magic. She fell into deep slumber, only stirring occasionally but then the other women, who were highly attentive to Kara’s needs even when she was asleep, just rubbed her back or massaged her scalp until the blonde quieted again. Kara still had her IV: s in, but it wasn’t anything she couldn’t handle. She needed their contents as she hadn’t eaten or drunken for many hours. Resulting in a dehydrated and malnourished Kara without some medical help. 

They hardly talked, only when assuring or comforting the reporter who didn’t understand what she did to deserve these two amazing women in her life. 

Soon enough night intruded, and after establishing that the blonde was as content as possible with her still asleep the older women also surrendered to sleep. 

 

The next day Alex woke up early, 7 in the morning to be exact. She had a nasty ache in her neck from the awkward position her neck had been in and her legs was numb with the weight of Kara’s head in her lap. Also, she found a certain CEO of a certain million-dollar media brand slumped on her shoulder, smacking her lips and murmuring into her shoulder. She was sandwiched in between the younger women. Alex didn’t have the heart to move, so she sat still and observed the relaxed faces of those she knew. Maggie had come by last night too, and she was blacked out in the arm chair in front of them, still clad in her leather jacket and with her shoes on. 

Kara’s face was relaxed, lips ever-so-slightly parted, soft puffs innocently exiting her mouth. Her eyes were fluttering, one eye slipping open only to reveal the white of the eye ever so often. She was deep in sleep, and had been for the last 18 hours, only had one single nightmare, but that was it. Alex put her free hand on her sister’s forehead and stroked it with her thumb with a sigh. 

Lena’s face wasn’t as relaxed, frowning as she was in her sleep. Alex never thought of the raven-haired woman to be a sleep talker, but she was. The thing is though, whilst Kara mumbled about food and people, Lena murmured and grumbled about scientific formulas and mathematical equations. The woman was working in her sleep. The thing that broke Alex’s heart was though, was that Lena wasn’t only talking nonsense and incoherent numbers, she was trying to make sense of a formula to help Kara with the parasite. The CEO tried finding a cure in her sleep, that desperate was she to help her best friend and make her feel better. Alex’s hand left Kara’s forehead and instead reached over to her opposite side, placing it on Lena’s cheek and rubbing it gently until she too quieted. 

Maggie however, was out. Like out, out. Slumped in the chair with legs splayed over the armrest and head tilted against the headrest. Snoring quietly, but snoring nonetheless. Alex found it very, very cute. An hour later, with Alex still sitting completely still and looking around at the three other ladies Maggie relaxed a little too much, and her head dropped backwards, losing support from the backrest of the chair. She jerked awake and groaned. 

“Ow... my neck,” Maggie murmured, her voice thick with sleep. The agent smiled. “Yeah, you tell me,” she whispered. 

“Danvers, how long have you been up?” 

“Not that long, I really have to pee though, but I don’t have the heart to move.” 

Maggie laughed as quietly as she could. Her girlfriend was smushed in between little Danvers and Luthor, Kara in her lap and Lena on her shoulder on the other side, both younger women deep in slumber. They were very cute, Maggie had to admit, and she understood what Alex meant by not wanting to disturb them. 

“I’ll help you, hang on.” Maggie smiled before wincing as she stood up and stretched her sore muscles. 

 

The couple began with Lena, Alex sitting still and massaging Kara’s scalp to distract her from hearing and noticing Lena’s heartbeat get further away and to distract her from waking up from the sudden action around her. Maggie standing in front of Lena, placing her left hand on Lena’s right cheek before peeling her away from Alex’s shoulder with her right hand. She slowly lowered Lena onto the cushion, supporting her head in her palm and the rest of her upper body with the other. Maggie was careful not to wake her and succeeded without as much as a murmur in the usually very easily-disturbed executive’s sleep. Alex had kept tracing her fingers over her younger sister's face, over her forehead, down her cheeks and over her nose. This just seemed to lull the blonde further away into the clutches of exhaustion, Alex letting out a soft “aww” when her sister’s mouth slipped open and the youngest proceeded to let out a sleep-filled sigh before starting to softly snore. Maggie held a pillow on standby as Alex as carefully as she could slipped out from underneath Kara’s head, lowering it down on the pillow that Maggie slid into the space were Alex’s legs had been. 

Alex was free to stand up and she did, rushing to the toilet immediately. 

Maggie chuckled, typical Danvers, prioritizing others wellbeing in front of their own. She sat down on the coffee table and observed both ladies for a while before going to put on the coffee pot in the kitchen. Minutes later she was joined by Alex at her side, not-so-patiently waiting for the slow drops of coffee to reach her cup and then her mouth. 

A raise in volume from Kara’s nonsense mumbles interrupted the silence that laid upon the apartment. 

“How is she?” Maggie asked before pulling Alex into a hug. 

Alex shook her head. “I don’t know, better I guess. She had been asleep for almost twenty hours now.” 

Maggie winced, but with a smile. “That’s a lot,” 

“It is yeah.” 

“And Lena? How is she doing?” 

Alex threw a look at the CEO curled up on the couch, Lena’s chest heaving up and down slowly. 

“I don’t know, processing, I think. I think she’s exhausted over worrying herself sick over Kara and that the relief of knowing that she is here and okay is so grand she knocks herself out.” Alex pressed a small smile. “Also, I think we should keep an eye on her too. She is a very hard-working woman, you know.” 

Maggie nodded. She knew that. 

Alex continued. “I just think she needs some help deciding when to or when not to work. She almost always works until late at night and is usually up early again the next morning to start working. The poor woman is always working. The thing is that I think she’s even working in her sleep, Mags. She’s trying to figure out Kara’s cure when asleep, I heard her rambling formulas.” 

Maggie observed Lena on the couch before meeting her girlfriends now concerned eyes. “That does not sound healthy,” 

“It isn’t.” The agent responded. 

 

Alex found herself lost in her girlfriend's dark eyes, watching how their hues shifted color as the morning sun hit them. They were beautiful. She was beautiful. 

“You’re so pretty, you know that?” Alex smiled. 

Maggie smiled. “You getting’ soft on me now Danvers?” 

“No, yes. Maybe. A little.” 

Her rambles were cut off by a kiss. Then the kiss was interrupted by a voice. 

“wow, this early? Must be a record for you two to not being able to not spill your love all over the place” A hoarse but well-meaning voice said. 

“Little Luthor! Good morning! Coffee?” Maggie beamed. 

“Is my name Lena? What do you think? Of course I want coffee,” Lena replied, words coming out a little sharper than she thought. “Sorry, I’m really tired. Yes please, I would like some coffee.” Lena started over. 

Maggie winked at her and proceeded to place a steaming cup in front of her. 

“Thanks. What time is it?” Lena said as she took a sip of the hot beverage. 

“A quarter past eight,” Alex read her wristwatch. 

“Shoot! I’m late to work! I have to get to the lab to test some new formulas I've been thinking about.” 

Maggie and Alex met eyes before both observed Lena who was now trying to drink the way-too-hot coffee as fast as she could. 

“Hey hey, slow down. About that...” Maggie began, putting a hand on Lena’s to prevent her from burning her tongue worse than it already was. 

“What?” Lena said, mouth filled with hot coffee, staring confusedly at the older couple. 

“We know you are working very hard to find the cure, and that’s great, don’t get me wrong, but I kind of think you should take the day off. Rest a little. It has been a tough week for all of us.” 

Lena almost choked on her coffee. Her? Skipping work? Never. “Hell no. Kara needs the cure!” 

“Easy little Luthor,” Maggie calmed. “We only want what’s best.” 

“The best thing is finding the cure as quick as possible! Maggie,” Lena lowered her voice into a whisper, hissed through her teeth. “Kara could die if I don’t fix this. And I’m not letting that happen.” 

Alex interrupted this time. “We know that, and we are all working to help her. But Lena you are so stuck up in helping Kara that you forget to take care of yourself. You barely sleep anymore, and you are seriously overworking.” 

Lena snorted. “I am not overworking. I’m working as hard as I should and need to.” 

“Yes Lena, you are overworking. Alex heard you talking about formulas and calculating things I don’t even know what they are in your sleep! You can’t even have a peaceful, decent sleep without your brain working. You need to rest like any other human. We’re worried about you.” Maggie said. 

“You can’t force me to stay.” Lena said, but with a twinge of uncertainty laced to it. 

Alex smiled. “We kind of can,” 

“What are you going to do? Lock me in my own apartment?” Lena snorted. 

Maggie shrugged. “I don’t know. Do we need to?” 

The CEO rolled her eyes and accepted that she wasn’t going to win the argument. She retreated back to the sofa, placed herself closer to Kara who was still soundly asleep. It looked like Lena was falling back to sleep, but what the couple was oblivious to was that Lena had sneaked her phone with her. With the lowest brightness available, she began reading and answering emails, before opening her research about the Baxterian Narcotiza Paleabrax. 

 

/ 

 

The day passed, the Sawyer-Danvers couple leaving the apartment for check-ups at work. When they returned, around dinner time, Kara hadn’t moved a millimeter, still motionless on the sofa. Lena however, had moved quite a few. The poor woman had forced herself sitting up despite her fatigue, forced herself to keep working on the cure. Face down on the kitchen island, on top of her laptop, with several empty coffee cups beside it. Next to the laptop were also a dozen scruched up paper-balls, filled with messy notes. Lena’s forehead rested on another bundle of paper on the counter that seemed to be self-written information sheets and to top it all off, two open books titled “’Otherworldly creatures’ and ‘Alien species 101’ were splayed open on the island, a pink highlighter covering a few of the sentences written within them. 

Alex closed her eyes and sighed. Maggie did a discrete fist pump. 

The detective cleared her throat, leaned towards her girlfriend’s ear. “Sooooo, twenty dollars was it huh?” 

Alex shook her head again. “I never should’ve taken that bet.” 

Maggie laughed unapologetically. “No, you really shouldn’t have.” Alex chuckled and good-heartedly smacked her partner’s arm that waved the 20-dollar bill in the air in celebration. 

The giggles between the couple died out and there were a few seconds of silence before Kara shifted slightly on the couch, adjusting her neck and head on the pillow, sleepily sighing once settled. Maggie shook her head and wrapped an arm around Alex. “Look at them.” 

“Yeah, I’m getting kind of worried for both though. Kara still hasn’t woken up or eaten, she is only being intravenously fed. And Lena,” Alex sighed. “is going to work herself to death.” 

Maggie ran a hand through her hair. “It’s going to be okay, Kara has had a really tough month and Lena was already hard-working even before Kara got infected by the Paleabrax. Dragging her out of the office and so on, remember?” 

Alex nodded, chuckled a little to herself. She’d lost count of how many times either Kara, Maggie or herself had practically been forced to drag Lena from her laptop and fight her to lay down in her bed and rest. It was an almost impossible challenge to separate the Luthor from her work. They all admired her ambitious personality, but the couple was getting worried. At the rate the raven-haired woman was taking on work, she’d be likely to crash sometime in a near future. 

 

Alex and Maggie met eyes, glanced over and pitied Lena’s neck for the position it was in. They nodded. They knew by the way the CEO still balanced a pen in her hand, that Lena hadn’t been dozing for long. 

 

They knew what to do to help her.


	13. Phase B.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sanvers taking care of Lena and Kara awwww

“Lena? You feelin’ okay there?” 

Green eyes blinked open, met the wooden of the kitchen counter when they regained their vision. She lifted her head out of instinct, winced as the ache in her neck became apparent. Pinching one eye closed, she rubbed her hand on her neck before two hands brushed them away, only to take over the rubbing, massaging Lena’s sore neck pleasantly. It was Alex. Lena melted into the touch, it was very nice to have someone to detangle the knots in her neck, shoulders and back. Due to the stress Lena had bathed in the past weeks her neck and spine had gotten quite a few stress knots that actually hurt really bad. But her knowledge of the pain Kara had been enduring made Lena downplay her own, her problems seeming ridiculously minor and insignificant next to her friend’s, so her aches remained unsaid. That is the main reason Lena found herself now sinking into the very well-needed touch of Alex trained hands. The raven-haired woman couldn't help but let her head loll back and groan a little in content. “Sorry I thrashed the place” she sighed, eyes closed. “I just can’t figure out the damn formula.” A few seconds of Lena enjoying Alex’s precise hands over her shoulders before she yawned. The couple met eyes for a quick second, telepathically deciding a plan like the connected couple they were. They knew exactly what the goal was and how to get there. Lena’s body was giving her brain (and Alex and Maggie for that matter...) all the signs that needed to be shown to indicate that she really had to stop and rest, yet Lena’s mind refused it. Refused resting until the cure was found. 

That’s why the couple needed to help her.  One way or another. If this wasn’t going to work, they would be forced to use some more.... extreme methods. But they had to try it this way first.

Alex thumbs methodically massaged Lena’s neck and shoulders, her medical degree telling her exactly where to press and not to achieve the desired effects. If only Alex could warm up and relax the biggest muscles in her shoulders and back, the exhausted woman (whose stiffness she hadn’t hidden very well, raising suspicion behind the medically trained eyes that belonged to A lex ) should be already halfway to dream-town. That left the other half of the road up to Sawyers. Maggie seated herself on the stool next to Lena, moved all the work  material out of sight and reach from the overworking woman. 

“So,” Maggie began, her hand creeping towards Lena’s that laid limply on the table , pen still in hand, yet the detective suspected that Lena wasn’t  really aware of it . “We told you not to work, but you did anyways.” she said softly,  gently extracting the highlighter from her hands . Lena had slipped her eyes closed to try and  engulf herself in as much of the relaxing feeling as possible, but caught herself and sat up straight, her left hand reaching for the laptop again. Right hand however, stayed in between Maggie’s warmer ones. 

When the CEO’s hand started scrolling through her computer again, Maggie pursed her lips, rolled them in before whispering. “Lena, I thought we told you already. You need to rest.”.

Lena’s right hand suddenly left the other woman’s, also proceeding to type away. The brunette saw the monitor reflect in green hues, saw how her pupils fluttered back and forth over the text and calculations as she processed the information.  _ This was going to be impossible.  _

Alex’s hands left Lena’s back in a frustrated sigh. “I’m not doing this again Lena. Not today.”

No answer from the executive.

“ Lenaaa ” Alex whined. “Please just listen to us. You need to rest- ”

Lena stopped writing, stared into the void of the screen. “I. _ Need. _ To. Help. Kara. And I know what you guys are doing. You’re trying to see if I’ll fall asleep. But I won’t and now let me help Kara! ”

The detective noticed and established that this whole ‘you listen to me’ tactic wasn’t working, the younger of the pair having way too much pride to take commands from someone else, no matter the meaning behind it, good or bad.  So Maggie went for another tactic. 

“Fine, then don’t rest.” 

Alex ceased her pacing. A glare from her saying ‘what-the-hell- M aggie-that-is-the-opposite-of-what-we-are-trying-to-achive' but Maggie just signaled for her to go along with it. Alex gave a reluctant nod and Maggie continued. “ So Alex, why don’t you tell Lena what you have been up to? If Lena doesn’t mind, of course. ”

Lena just snorted.

_ Oh.  _ Alex thanked a higher entity for blessing her with such a smart girlfriend. 

“Of course.”

Lena just shook her head, her fingers never ceasing her typing and her eyes never leaving the screen. 

_Boring story. Just tell her a very_ _very_ _very_ _boring story._ Alex took a quick few seconds of pondering and plotting together a _very boring, unnecessarily detailed but soothing story._

_ Just please Lena don’t just channel me out. _

“So today I was given duty for some very, very,  _ very,  _ interesting paperwork. It took some time, and my pen slipped in and out of a functioning state. It was very annoying.” Alex talked slowly, with a low and soothing voice she’s only ever used for her sister before. 

“After I had filled out the rest of the forms, my pen ran out of ink. ‘Silly me’ I thought. So I had to get a new one from the storage. On my way to the storage, I met Winn who said that the ink in his pen was empty too. Then we talked for a while before finally going towards the storage. When we were at the storage,”

During Alex’s monologue, Lena had only resorted to using her left hand to scroll through her notes and click through files  with  the trackpad, leaving her right hand free again. Maggie took the opportunity in an instant, her fingers hovering over Lena’s arm.

Lena sighed, Alex kept slowly explaining a story and Maggie nudged the executive’s arm with a featherlike touch. Another few seconds of Alex talking, and Maggie’s fingers now drawing light circles up and down on Lena’s arm. Lena’s fingers fluttered slightly in the relaxed palm by the foreign touch but soon relished the sensation that tingled and soothed her forearm. When Lena didn’t pull away from Maggie’s touch, the brunette met her more red-haired partners eyes, flashed her dimples. Alex bit her lip and smiled back. _Progress._

Soon enough, with Alex halfway into her made-up very uninteresting story and Maggie gently and slowly drawing on Lena’s arm, the agent lifted her hands back to Lena’s neck. When she didn’t pull back from that either, the couple knew that it was all going to work out according to plan, without the use of other methods  with  substances involved.

The eldest Danvers began working towards the muscles between the neck and shoulder, causing Lena to reluctantly release a sigh of content. 

/ (approximately 5 minutes later)

“Unbeknownst to Winn, I already had a green pen at my desk, and I really wanted the pink one he was holding, so I said to him that all-”  Alex’s slow, soothing voice was interrupted by one of Maggie’s hands on her arm.

Maggie nodded towards Lena, whose head  now  hanged chin to her chest, as she took sound deep breaths. The couple did a silent high-five and exchanged smiles. Trying to stay awake while someone brushed their fingertips over her arm and another set of fingers dug pleasantly into her back, adding the fact that Alex’s low, soothing voice slowly told a boring story, was one of the hardest challenges that the CEO had ever faced. However, Lena lost the battle , much to the couple's happiness and gratitude . 

Adding Lena’s overall permanent exhaustion due to the damage of routine overworking, the stress over Kara’s wellbeing and not being able to work the cure out, _combined_ by Maggie and Alex’s ways of helping her, Lena had found it impossible to make sense of the numbers and chemicals on the screen anymore, the letters melting into a mess of incoherent blobs. Soon enough she had lost awareness of her body and her head had slumped against her chest. 

Maggie pulled Lena’s sleeve back from when the detective had pulled it up in order to trace more skin. Maggie knew that running her fingers through her hair or tracing her fingers ever-so-slightly in featherlike touches over her skin could knock Alex out in seconds. It was like magic. Maggie’s magic. And Maggie’s magic seemed to enchant Lena too.

With her sleeve pulled back to where it should be the Sanvers couple worked together to scoop the sleeping woman into Alex’s strong arms in a cradle carry. They did so, very smoothly and managed to lay Lena down on the couch again. They tucked her in, with pillows and blankets. Lena murmured a sleep-filled ‘thanks’ before she was out.    
“That’s better.” Maggie smiled. 

“ Yeah .” Alex replied, also with a smile. “Much better.”

It wasn’t until now that they realized that Kara hadn’t moved for the past, let’s see... She dozed off around  around 8 pm the day before yesterday, after her confrontation and that was 20 hours until Alex had waddled out from her spot on the couch. Then the couple had left for work and returned about 8 hours later. So, about 28 hours. That was a lot. Even for a drained  kryptonian .

Again, the thought being thought simultaneously, them telepathically thinking the same thing. They waddled over to Kara’s side of the couch, where she laid still, in the same position that the couple placed her in this early morning. It was nice knowing that the blonde was finally resting, but it unnerved them both that she’s been out for so long. 

“We need to wake her up. She needs to eat something or else I’ll have to up her nutrition amounts. A lot.” Alex said, Maggie nodding in agreement. “Maggie,” Alex said as a realization struck her. “She hasn’t eaten in  like  three days, and she needs to eat 10 times more than a human. Shit.” 

_ Shit. Shit. Shit.  _

_ How could I forget?  _ _ Ugghhhhhhhhhh _ _. Kara needs almost more than 10 times of human intake under the parasite, as it also drained her energy, but Kara’s stomach has been running empty since  _ _ it _ _ contents spewed out after the group had confronted Kara’s drinking, and oh my god I'm so stupid. You  _ _ definitely need _ _ to up her amount of nutrition, it barely has any effect anymore. No wonder Kara was still sleeping! She had and received no  _ _ new  _ _ energy to do anything but sleep! _

Alex facepalmed.

“Easy Danvers, I also forgot. It isn’t like we are used to reminding her to eat.” Maggie rubbed Alex’s back.

“Now go help her.” The detective’s hand that rubbed across Alex’s back gently pushed the short-haired woman towards her sister.

It took a concerning amount of force to rouse the youngest Danvers from sleep. Tired blue eyes struggled to remain open and slowly some natural red returned to her cheeks. Two loose fists tiredly rubbed her eyes. 

“Heyyyy, beautiful. How are you feeling?” Alex said, caressing the side of her sisters face as she spoke. Kara took her time answering.

“Been better.” The blonde groaned, a hand  hugging her stomach , and the other rubbing her temple .

“Well, it’s been a rough week, I’m sure you have every reason to go into hibernation. Also, that tube you got there,” Maggie paused and tapped the tube that had been led through  the blonde’s  nose. ”is the only thing feeding you right now . Which brings us to the next question. What would you like to eat?” Maggie said. Kara closed her eyes and frowned, traced the tube that she only now realized had been stuck to her face with her fingers. “I’m not really hungry, I can skip breakfast. I’m fine.”

Alex and Maggie met eyes. Kara was not fine. Even though Kara has gotten through some changes lately, she still sucked at lying.

“Kara,  first off,  it’s eight at night. You have been out for the past thirty hours. Breakfast was a long time ago.” Alex said.

“Say what now?” Kara said, the other women glad that her usual banter had returned. “Thirty hours? Man.”

Alex chuckled as she rubbed her thumb over Kara’s cheek. “I’m glad you’re back. I really am.” she smiled. Maggie nodded. “I am too.” 

The tired woman smiled. Alex could see a thought struck her sister as blue eyes searched the room. “Lena?” Kara hauled herself up on her elbows only to be gently but firmly pushed back to a lying position by Maggie who shushed her. “Is right there and is sleeping for like the first time in four days.” Maggie pointed to the bun that poked out from under the blanket. “And we need her to stay that way before she turns crazy due to sleep deprivation. You don’t want us having to do what we had to do to you last year, right?”

Kara pressed her lips in a thin line and shook her head, a flash of hostility in her eyes in protection of the CEO. The last thing she wanted was for them to sneak sedatives into Lena’s coffee. At first, when it happened to Kara, she was furious. They had no right to decide when she was awake and not, it was her decision solely. However, the couple had managed to convince her it was all to help her, and the anger had dripped off. Kara realized it wasn’t to establish dominance over her, it was only to help her, as she had gone two straight weeks without sleep due to Kara being too afraid of her nightmares . Normally, that would drive people insane to not sleep at all for weeks, but Kara was a kryptonian and could fend off sleep easier. That is, until a certain parasite takes the choice away from you. 

To sum it all up, Kara really didn’t want Alex or Maggie to force Lena to rest, it wasn’t nice.

“don’t you dare.” Kara hissed. Alex chuckled softly and calmed her sister who kept her glare on Maggie. “Easy now, Kar. We’re not going to do  _ anything  _ to Lena, right Mags?” Alex joined the glaring on Maggie who shrugged.

“ _ Mags”  _ Alex whispered through her teeth, nicked her head towards Kara who wasn’t buying it.

Maggie sighed and shook her head. “ Finee .”

Another second of glares from the youngest before Maggie could feel the eyes leaving her form. “I just want to help her. And you Kara.” Maggie said. 

“We all are,” Alex filled in. “So back to you, sis. What’s for dinner?”

Another disappointing silence. The couple met eyes. Maggie rose up and disappeared into the kitchen.

“You need to eat Kara, on a scale of 1-10 you are a twelve on the ‘really-need-to-get-something-down' scale.” Alex explained as she watched Kara reluctantly accept a glass of water from Maggie.

“I really have to?” Kara whined. It was unusual for her to be this avoiding of food. 

Food. Kara’s  second kryptonite. She loved it. There were few things better than food. Pot stickers and pizza was the universal key to Kara’s heart. But today, the thought of food only brought her nausea. She already had managed to force down a few sips of water, wasn’t that good enough? 

Her head hurt  a lot  and her mind was soggy. Kara just wanted to sleep right now, preferably closer to her best friend on the couch as she still felt the urge and need to protect her. 

“Yes really, it’s really important you get some energy and solid nutrition in you,” her sister said but Kara only heard the yes.

Kara squirmed and groaned. “But  Alexxx I feel so ...” Kara paused before pouting. “ _ ughhhhhkk _ _ ,” _

The oldest Danvers pressed a smile as she ran her hand over Kara’s forehead, smoothing out the crinkle, mentally noting the hot surface that was her sister’s forehead. “You feel sick?”

Kara reluctantly nodded slowly, searing pain stopping her from moving much at all and the nausea that came with the intense headache made her feel worse. “Here?” Alex asked as she gently rubbed a small circle close to the area that the parasite had infested itself in. Another nod. 

“I think I know just the solution. And you don’t have to eat right now, but you’ll have to later.” The agent stood up, exchanged the bag of fluid and bag of liquid food into stronger ones, originally used for patients with eating disorders who had refrained from eating for a long period of time. 

“It’s going to be a little painful though, but it’s going to ease the pain okay?” Alex made sure Kara knew that this wasn’t going to be something pleasurable.  In all honesty, Alex predicted it probably would hurt like hell.

Before going towards the black med kit, Alex whispered something in Maggie’s ear that Kara couldn’t pick up, despite her excellent hearing. 

As the amber-haired woman left, the brunette sat down next to Kara, slid the pillow her head was resting on onto her thigh, placing the younger woman in her lap. With a certain tenderness in her eyes, Maggie began working her fingers through the curly mess that was Kara’s hair. Methodical and experienced fingers curling and brushing through her golden locks. Starting at Kara’s clammy hairline, where Maggie noticed a hotter temperature than she expected, she went from roots to ends. Once again working Maggie’s magic. It seemed like the Danvers sisters _and_ Lena Luthor all surrendered beneath her touch. It filled Maggie with a pride of sorts, that she could bring comfort to somebody else. Before Kara’s eyes inevitably slipped closed again with the newly exchanged IV contents flowing through her system, Alex returned with a green needle, _another tube,_ and a small container holding a _very_ purple liquid in it. “I fixed a little something,” Alex said softly. “With the help of your wonderful friend’s little scrunched up notes,” the agent pointed to Lena with her thumb over her shoulder. “I was able to make a little something to ease with the pain.” Alex shook the container. Kara eyed it for a quick second before it hurt her head too much, and she re-centered her eyes on Maggie who was still combing through her hair over her. 

“Just do it before I pass out. My head feels like it’s going to explode.”

“Did you check her temperature, Danvers?” Maggie asked.

“you think it’s hot too?” Alex replied, focused on inserting the end of the tube into the weirdly-colored liquid. Maggie patted the back of her hand on the superhero’s forehead again, this time barely managing to contain a wince. “Oh yeah. That’s a fever if I’ve ever felt one.” Maggie established. 

“Hang on,” Alex said, disappearing again out to the hall and returning with what looked like eye drop containers in her hand. “I’ll just mix this in, it’s going to keep her fever under control, I’m going to go get the thermometer.” Alex opened the smaller package and poured it into the purple liquid that fizzled quietly before changing into a bluer hue. A quick little rush later Alex had the thermometer in Kara’s mouth. “108, now that’s a fever.”

Because Kara naturally ran hotter, her physiology could handle higher body-temperatures. However, everyone has a breaking point, and Kara would be inattentive around 110 degrees and therefore it would be dangerous. It was important to break the fever before it would come to that point, and that is with rest and medicine .

As for now, the medication would help Kara lower her fever, dull the pain (dulling/numbing it for the first time since her own alcoholic self-medication) and with the stong IV contents strengthening her, she could go back to sleep with a less worried sister. At least then they would have it under control. Alex’s educated guess was that Kara had entered phase B of the virus, the increased vulnerability phase. It was the only possible explanation to her sick-like demeanor. The first thing that came to mind was the flu. And that’s what Alex prepared for. _Headaches, Fever, Stomachache and Vomit. Probably._ Alex observed her sister. _Definitely._

“Please Alex, just give me the damn thing already,” Kara groaned, growing impatient with the pain in her head only worsening, her ability to think slowly deteriorating.

“Yeah sorry, of course, just one second.” Alex fumbled with her words. “It’s not going to be nice at first, okay? But you’ll feel better after. I know you don’t like  needles , but I don’t think you would be able to hold it down if you drank it.”

Kara gave a faint nod. Alex was probably right. “Just...do it.” The blonde  pressed  her hand over her forehead, still actually enjoying Maggie’s gently movements in her hair. It  actually eased the pain a  tiny bit at times.

“right.” Alex nodded, snapping the needle in place at the end of the tube. She pressed the button on the side of the container, whereupon it started a low buzzing sound. Navy-blue liquid crept its way to where the needle sat, and Alex nodded to Maggie who nodded back. They were ready. 

Unfortunately, the only kryptonite-laced needle left in storage was made with a higher amount of the emerald rock, as it was originally made as a part of a sedative syringe, specifically design to pierce  kryptonian skin. It was the same type of needle Kara plunged into Reign’s neck during their battle. It was stronger, and therefore Kara’s skin illuminated green streaks when the needle lit up, indicating it was ready. 

“Alex, it’s kryptonite. It hurts.” Kara whimpered, her veins glowing emerald through her skin. 

“I know honey, but it was the only needle I could find.” 

Both older women felt a sting in the chest as the younger struggled beneath the mineral’s presence. Maggie caught a slight absence in Kara’s eyes, and proceed to whisper to Alex to hurry up, before she passes out. She could only ever handle so much, despite her species. The reporter needed her pain to be numbed, Maggie’s fingers weren’t doing it anymore. Alex swallowed, carefully tugged at Kara’s sweatshirt collar, exposing more green veins. The agent took a quick second to steady her hands before moving the needle closer to her sisters left collarbone, where it would go in a few centimeters under. Upon Kara’s body noticing the distance between her body and the rock decreasing, her skin glowed brighter, and the blonde whimpered. “ Alexx ..” she groaned through gritted teeth. Alex took a deep breath, steadily held the collar away and stuck it in, resulting in a whimper  from K a ra a nd  a  now blueish illumination around the area on the skin . “It’s done.” Alex said under an exhale. 

Hot liquid coursed through Kara’s body; a burning sensation almost greater than the headache itself blessing its presence. Kara had qui e ted, her face locked in a tense expression, pain obvious on her features. Alex grabbed her hand. Maggie rubbed her forehead and Lena stirred on the opposite side of the couch. The CEO sat up, looked around, although with closed eyes. She frowned, puckered her lips. Listened. Murmured something. Then her face relaxed again, and Lena laid down. 

A few minutes passes with the blonde not moving, body glowing with green everywhere except where the canula sat, where it was more purple. Her face pressed together tightly, her hands clinging to Alex’s for dear life. Slow, agonizing minutes before the blonde ’ s expression softened ever so slightly. Soon enough, she grew limp, hand still in her sister’s and one last ragged breathing hitched its way out of her lungs before it was replaced by long ,  deep  and steady  ones. Alex let her head fall forward, Maggie doing the same. 


	14. "Soup, Cuddles, Meds And Rest."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A shortie chapter, but hey it has some supercorp hints in it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, just wanted to tell that i'm uploading as fast as i can but school has me very busy so it could take some time for the chapters to keep coming but don't give up!   
> Also no one knows if one could just... skip their homework and write fics instead :P   
> also sorry for any typos

“Think it’s....yeah....probably yeah...no I can handle it mom...I’ve had the flu before...well duh I know that...Mom It’s not the first time Kara’s had a fever...fine...yes the meds are working...no mom she’s asleep...No she's also asleep...Work...Yes Maggie and I succeeded...yes...I’ll talk to Lena.... Maggie is fine...yes.... ok...bye...”

Lena slowly rose to awareness to Alex’s voice. Loose fists rubbed tired green eyes and the executive enjoyed the feeling of a non-sore neck and shoulder, feeling impossibly calm for the first time. Either Lena was still foggy from sleep or she’d figured right that Alex talked into a phone, because Lena couldn’t bring herself to hear someone else’s voice answering the agent.

Lena inhaled through her nose, and to her surprise it was quite stuffy – resulting in a louder breath than she anticipated, catching Maggie’s attention. “Heyy Danvers, look who’s up,” Maggie called out to Alex as she bemused observed Lena. "good morning to you too sleepyhead," Maggie chuckled when Lena dropped her head back on the pillow with a grunt and rolled over, no longer facing the backrest of the sofa, meeting the soft expression on the detective with her droopy green eyes.

Maggie smiled. "We won." she winked. Lena pressed her face to the pillow and dramatically pulled the blanket over her head, groaning into the soft material that was the throw pillow. "No, I- I just- whatever... It was just a nap." she said, the pillow muffling her stammer. Lena knew damn right they won. And even though it felt physically great, she couldn't help but to feel guilty for not using her hours more efficiently with helping Kara. Lena had wasted time.

"Oh, yeah-" Maggie nodded, raising her brows. "My naps are also usually about twelve hours long, no biggie." she winked again, flashing her dimples which made Lena even more embarassed. The CEO dug even deeper into the soft cushion and hid impossibly more in her blanket. 

"Hey, it's fine Lena. You need it." Maggie threw a nearby pillow on Lena's blanket-covered form. "And don't you even dare feel guilty for resting. i'll literally punch you Luthor."

Luthor. Lena's last name. Usually it was used in a bad way, said with hate and disgust lacing it's letters. But when Maggie said it. _Luthor. Little Luthor._ It didn't sound hateful, it just sounded like when Maggie called Kara _little Danvers._ It was a nickname. Lena has never had nicknames until she met Kara that day with Clark. Now she had multiple, _Lee_ and _Little Luthor_ most often used. Lena's heart still skipped a beat everytime someone said it, she got overfilled with some kind of joy she wasn't used to feeling, the lack of 'fun banter' and 'nicknames' finally getting filled. A hole in her chest finally getting filled. Lena couldn't be more happy than when she was spending time with the detective and the Danvers siblings. They meant the world.

But Kara was sick, Kara could die. Lena won't let that happen. Ever.

"Hey," Maggie threw another pillow. "Don't you dare."

Lena blushed underneath the blanked and then pulled it off her head. She just sticked out her tongue, receiving a small but also serious smile from Sawyer.

 

Alex shuffled into the living room, flashed a smile and a quick 'morning' to the CEO before turning to Maggie. “Mom thought it’s phase B too, and probably influenza if you count her vomiting, headache and fatigue et cetera et cetera,” Alex said softly, and from what Lena understood Maggie took it as a confirmation of sorts, like that was what she thought. “So we’ll just need to treat her like if one of us were sick with soup, cuddles and rest. Also, we’ll have to exchange her medication every two hours,” Alex pointed towards an unopened container with navy liquid, only now there was more, empty versions of the exact same container next to it.

Lena frowned. _Is that...?_

“Is that the Hombora-Utyiah mix I thrashed?”

Alex smiled. _Damn she’s smart._

“It is, I made a couple adjustments to the recipe, but I think it’s doing its job,” Alex nodded towards the bedroom. “Kara?” Lena said, head filled with millions of questions but none leaving her mouth.

“She’s getting a concentrated HU mix through a canula as close to her heart as possible, so I think it's helping her with the headaches and it's also supposed to slow the parasite down. But she’s dealing with a lot at the same time right now, so we must expect a tired, cranky and sleepy kryptonian for the next couple days.” Alex finished.

“It’s phase B.” Maggie added.

Having to endure the pain of a virus actively trying to take control over your brain, the mental strain that is after recovering from a complete mental breakdown, the pain from a mineral the blonde had described its presence as excruciating and having the flu at same time. _Yeah._ Lena thought. _She’s dealing with a lot right now._

“However, if Brainy’s calculations aren’t as off as they were last time,” Alex sighed. “This phase only lasts to a maximum of three days, meaning that the next phase is going to happen pretty soon,” she lowered her voice towards the end, bit the inside of her cheek.

“mind control,” Lena murmured. “we only have a few days to fix the cure then.”

A pause as all three women got stuck in their thoughts. “I’ve got the whole DEO and a branch from the med-labs with mom working on it, plus Brainy.” Alex broke the silence. Lena puckered her lips, was silent for a few seconds before she spoke. “I should be helping.”

“We only need your help towards the end, and we’re nowhere near it right now Lena,” Alex said, disappointment clear in her voice.

Another pause.

“So, soup, cuddles, meds and rest?” Lena asked.

“Soup, cuddles, meds and rest.” Alex replied.

/

30 minutes later, when Alex and Lena sat by the kitchen table, both with a cup of coffee in their palms and a silence resting between them, shifting and sounds of general discomfort was heard from the bedroom. Maggie had left to work and was going to visit a family member over the weekend, leaving Lena and Alex to make their way into the bedroom.

“Kar?” Alex whispered. “You awake?”

An _‘Ugggghhh’_ answered her question. Lena flicked the ceiling lamp on, dimmed it to lowest available brightness. Only then did they see that Kara’s HU mix and Paleabrax meds were running low in their respective bags that hanged as close to the bed as possible. Her nutrients and fluid also soon in need of exchange.

“Oh, Lena why don’t you grab the meds for Kara? I’ll see if her fever has gotten down.”

It had. To an unpleasant but manageable level.

“Alex... I think- I might-” Kara’s hoarse voice stopped dead sentence, her face paled and she filled her cheeks with air.

When Lena entered the bedroom area again, meds in hand, Alex was holding back a tangled mess of blonde hair from a bright green plastic bowl in which the youngest of them heaved. By the time Lena had exchanged all Kara’s medical equipment and respective medications the blonde spat one last time before collapsing back onto the pillow. She was wearing a blue polka dot pajama top and Lena didn’t know of the rest of her clothing as she was snuggled under the incredibly thick duvet. Kara shivered, groaned as she rubbed the back of her hand over her mouth. “I hate this.”

Both older women smiled knowingly, sympathy tugging at their chests. “We know, but we’re here for you.” Alex comforted as she caressed the side of Kara’s cheek with the back of her fingers, Lena sitting at the end of the bed. There was a silence before the blonde found herself inside a worsening coughing fit. “Hey, hey easy,” Alex rubbed her back as Kara spiked upwards in bed, her lower back resting against the headboard as the rest of her upper body arched when the coughs found their way out. When Kara finally quieted, Lena examined her best friend’s situation of hair. _Not good._

"We should do something with that tangled mess of hair you have on top of your head Kar, don’t you agree?”

Kara nodded. It would be more comfortable and maybe prevent her having to clean out spew from her hair later. And maybe, _just maybe_ there was a teeny tiny little chance that Kara wanted to be closer to the CEO, and her fingers through her hair sounded just... wonderful.

Lena went and retrieved her comb and some hair ties and slid in between the headboard and Kara. Alex excused herself, pointed towards her phone as she disappeared out to the foyer.

The reporter settled herself in a half-laying position in Lena’s cross-legged lap, deploying all her golden locks on her friend. Lena began running the comb through her hair, the tool coming to a halt every now and then as Lena had to undo a tangle. The CEO took her time, easing every single tangle in the flow of blond hair.

Moments later, with a couple of finishing strokes with the comb – Kara's hair glowed as sunlight hit their soft golden curls through the shadow of the blinds draped over her windows. “There you go, that’s better.” Lena smiled, resting her hand on Kara’s shoulder. “thanks, Lee,” Kara whispered, eyes closed in her sicken state.

“Want be to braid it too?” Lena asked. Blonde curls softly shifted in her lap as Kara nodded.  _More time with Lena like this? Yes please._

Pale fingers met golden strands of hair as Lena parted, crossed and braided it with experienced hands. Minor irritability resting inside the CEO as Kara's hair didn't really want to cooperate with her slender fingers, but the braids was going to happen, Lena was determined. _Hold three strands, cross the right one over the middle one, reposition, cross the left strand over the middle, reposition and repeat._ With half the honeydew curls made into a pretty but comfortably tight french braid rolled into a bun - a light blue scrunchie holding it in place, Lena started to gather and part the other half of Kara's hair. She combed her fingers through it a few times before splitting it in three parts and started to cross the strands when Kara said something Lena couldn't make out. "What's that Kar?" Lena whispered; hands paused in Kara's hair.

"Hmm?" The blonde murmured.

"Did you say something?"

"Avocados..."

Lena chuckled. "Say what?"

“mmm... and pie. I want pie Lena.”

Lena furrowed her brow. _Pie?_ “Kara?”

“Mhmph…avocado Lena! I want pie, "She murmured, needing Lena to strain her hearing to pick up what her friend was garbling about.

Lena smiled to herself as it clicked and began working the braid again. _Typical Kara._

“Kara? Honey?”

The blonde murmured something inaudible as she shifted slightly in reaction to her name.

“Go back to sleep.” Lena guided softly.

Kara smacked her lips and it was the most adorable thing Lena had ever seen. She had not befriended many, but she knew that sleep talking was pretty rare – yet Kara impossibly mumbled more in her sleep than when awake. And she, Lena Kieran Luthor, was unfortunately also a sleep talker – if Kara’s and Alex, even Maggie’s claims were true. She thought it was embarrassing, it didn’t match her persona as good as it did Kara’s. Like, if someone were to be mumbling about food in their sleep it was Kara Zor-el Danvers to a hundred percent. Unbeknowst to all the other women. Lena _loved_ the fact that Kara could be so lost in her dream state that she could start a random conversation in the middle of the night. Hell, Lena could swore that after one of their friends' nights Kara had mumbled a verse from _Just Keep Swimming_ in the childrens' movie Nemo. _Like, how could Alex and Maggie not think it was the cutest thing ever?_

Lena internally slapped herself. _Stop. It's not going to happen.  
_

She finished the last braid and bun, this time with ease. The younger one contently resting in her best friend's lap. The CEO watched for some moments before slipping out of the bed, tucking Kara in and making sure all medication was okay and stable. It was. She hesitated whether to press a quick _very friend-like_ kiss to Kara's temple or not but Lena actually almost slapped herself for real this time for even thinking about it.

The CEO slipped out of the bedroom area and got met with a pacing Alex.

“Mags! No! I won’t accept it! It is not acceptable, and I will never think it’s okay!” Alex whisper-shouted quickly into the phone, hands gesturing passionately as she spoke.

Lena tensed. It didn’t sound good. _Shit. What now?_

“I’m not eating vegan ice-cream! It’s not happening...no... Mags...Maggie Sawyer! Listen to me! A no is a no. I am NOT eating vegan ice cream and Kara hated you for a week the last time you tricked her! Oh really?! You think so?... Well I think Lena hates it too!” The agent rambled angrily.

Lena relaxed and crossed her arms, an amused smile lifting her lips as her eyes followed the pacing agent who was yet to acknowledge her presence.

Alex let out a few sighs and a 'love you too even though you have terrible taste,' before easing the phone off her ear, placing it with an inpatient thud on the kitchen counter.

Lena smiled. “You know,” Alex turned around, saw Lena bemused standing by the couch. "I could do some vegan ice cream.” she finished, and Alex chuckled.

“I just don’t get it, why would you ruin such a beautiful thing as ice cream?”

This time Lena laughed, but it died out as the bedroom door creaked open. “Did somebody say ice cream?” Kara yawned before plopping (or rather collapsing) on the couch behind Lena. The blonde still had the duvet rolled around her, her now slightly ruffled up braid buns lit up like a halo when the sun reached the hairdo through the living room windows. “wow.” Lena gasped.

Kara was _beautiful._ Even with bags under her barely open eyes and exhausted body filled with needles she looked just.. _wow._ Lena's heart skipped a beat as a thought struck her, thanked god or someone else for her not pressing a kiss to Kara's forehead in the bedroom. _What if she wasn't fully asleep? Oh my god what if she would have woken up?_

Lena shivered by just the thought. 

_Only. Friends._

“What?” Kara asked hoarsely, snuggled into her blanket impossibly more.

“oh nono nothing-" Lena shook her head with a quick smile, ran a hand through her hair.

"Well my dear sister, you are the only one I have yet to know who would be open to eat fifteen minutes after puking." Alex sighed as she shook her head.

Kara paused her wriggling around in the duvet, face pressed into the soft material. “So, where’s the ice cream?” Kara yawned again.

Alex fake-pouted, nodded seriously. “Maggie’s coming with vegan.”

“What!” Kara’s hoarse voice broke into coughs after yelling out in disgust. “ew,” she choked out between coughs.

“easy easy,” Lena comforted, rubbed her friends back. “Wasn’t Maggie supposed to visit her family?” Lena asked Alex.

“Yeah, she was. But she figured this,” Alex made a circling motion with her hand, pointing on all three women in the apartment. “was more important.” Lena smiled. “And also,” Alex continued. “I can’t look over a sick alien and a stubborn Luthor who refuses rest. I’ll need backup.”

Lena pouted and then turned to face Kara, pressed her palm on the younger’s forehead. When cold fingers met hot, soft skin Kara’s eyes slipped closed. “Your hand is cold,” the blonde whispered. The CEO pulled her hand away.

“Yeah, sorry.” Kara shook her head, eyes still closed. “no no,” Kara pulled out an arm from the blanket-burrito and caught Lena’s hand, tugging at it at first and then placing it on her forehead again. “’s nice,” she murmured. Alex chuckled at Lena’s surprised expression and went to retrieve an ice bag and a cloth, wrapping it around the dotted bag before handing it to Lena. “Here you go,” Lena whispered as she gently peeled her fingers away from Kara’s hand that held her pressed against the blonde's forehead and replaced them with the ice bag. The CEO’s heart broke a little over the many tubes and cannulas that was inserted in her friend’s arm.

Three tubes tangled around her exposed arm and ran from her forearm to three different bags and containers. Lena also knew of the needle in Kara’s tummy, and the one in her chest – on which she often pointed and complained about. Five tubes. _Five tubes is a lot._ Everyone filling their purpose. Fever, Paleabrax painkiller, nutrition, fluid and the one in her chest for the other pain phase B caused. On top of that, there was kryptonite puncturing her body, close to her heart – and she was experiencing a bad influenza. Then Kara was also mentally broken, still healing from the past weeks. Lena was too. Alex and Maggie too. Clark, Eliza, Sam, Lucy, Nia, James, Winn and J’onn too.

Lena wrapped her arms around her friend. Her best friend. Her first and most important friend. Friend. _Just. Friends._ Simple.

' _who am I trying to convince?'_ Lena smacked herself internally. _'How about yourself?'_ a small voice answered in her head but she ignored it, hugging her _best friend_ tighter.

/

Kara was so happy that her friends and family had taken her by the collar and forced them to be together, she was so happy about them being a family again. She reveled in every physical touch she had with Alex or Lena or anyone else like the tactile person that she was. During those dark weeks, she drank to forget. Drank to forget the pain. But she also forgot what it was like to hug or laugh, the only relief she knew of was the liquid inside her glass. But with her family now by her side when she felt bad and sick, made her realize again and again what a mistake she had done. What she had been missing out on. How fantastically amazing and great it felt to talk about hard stuff and go through it together or how good and comforting a hug felt.

Kara was still sad, still mad about her situation, but it felt better – almost manageable with Alex and her friends by her side. They made her feel so much better. They were so nice. Despite her stupid behavior, they didn’t let her slip away completely. They were too good to her. And that’s exactly what Kara said.

“you guys are too nice,” she sniffled, catching Lena’s eyes.

“hey,” Lena wiped away a tear Kara hadn’t noticed rolling down her cheek with her thumb. “we’re family.”

And with that Kara nodded. “family.”

/

“Alex?” The agent turned her head away from the DEO flat screens and turned to face Winn.

“Yeah?” Winn waved a little aluminum canister in the air. “I made something,” he stepped closer and Alex did the same, standing by his side and examining the object. “It’s made with Turixian technology, I made it to track Kara’s..” Winn paused and pointed towards his head. “Percentage to parasite- uh...”

“The percentage of brain area the parasite has taken control of?” Alex guessed. Winn nodded.

“Good job agent Schott” Another deep voice said.

J’onn passed by them, patted Winn on the shoulder on his way past. The short man lit up, beaming at Alex. Alex just shook her head. _He has impossibly too much respect for J’onn. Keep your panic inside please._

“Thanks Winn, I’m going to get this to her right away.”

/

Around the area by Kara’s loft, there was a park. A small one, rarely visited. But there was a bench. And that was where Kara preferred to sit, breathing in the wet air. It had gone about a week or so (Once again Brainy’s calculations being wrong), Kara’s flu peaking a few days in but then decreasing and she was almost free from her fever and she didn’t vomit anymore. Lena had not gone to work a single day, staying home to take care of Kara when Alex and Maggie had to be at work. Sam was doing a great job of running L-Corp during Lena’s vacancy.

But with the sudden free time she got restless with resulted in the reason Kara was able to sit in the park and not hooked up to half a dozen bags inside.

When Lena didn't throw herself into research about the cure she had sketched a prototype during lunch a few days ago, scanned it and sent it to Kara’s foster mother to finish, in which she did.

It was a box, one with three compartments big enough to hold all Kara’s meds and the box small and light enough to carry with you. Because Kara now could hold her food and liquid down, two tubes were already removed. With the box, Kara could move freely without the pole rolling beside her holding her medication. It made Lena’s and Kara’s lives much easier.

So there they were, Kara and Lena, sitting in the park with morning breeze grabbing ahold of their bodies. The water in the bottle swirling and sloshing around and against the plastic walls of the bottle as Kara mindlessly twirled it in her hand, eyes behind sunglasses and body behind many layers of clothes. She looked up. Observed Lena, working as always on her laptop. She said she was doing L-corp business from home, but Kara didn't believe her. There was something in the green eyes Kara had started longingly at for too long that told her that the CEO wasn't a hundred precent sincere.

“Hey guys.” A familiar warm voice greeted from behind them on the bench, breaking both Kara and Lena out of their thoughts and work.

Lena was in a pair of sweatpants and a green hoodie, a bun and sunglasses on her head. Kara was wrapped in a lot more clothes as she still froze a lot. Lena shifted the sunglasses up to the top of her head and squinted in the early sunlight.

“Hi... Alex? Aren’t you supposed to be at the DEO?”

“Yeah, I was, and I still am supposed to be so I got to get going I just came by to give you this,” Alex said as she slipped out of the hug her sister had demanded. The agent pulled out a small cartridge, attached to it were two EEG pads for each temple. “what’s that?” The reporter asked.

“Umm... well Winn made a tracker for how it’s going for your little buddy there,” Alex pointed towards her sister's head.

“Tracker?” Lena asked.

“Yeah, when we- if we need to know when...” Alex voice fell into a whisper. “phase C,” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ha ha ha *evil laugh' that is right you guessed it! this is a supercorp slowburn!   
> come yell at (or preferably flatter) me on twitter @emilydanvers1


	15. Extreme.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> yeah. im sorry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> toot toot here comes the extremely sad angst train  
> buckle up ladies and gents because its going to be a wiiild ride

"Lena?"   


"Hmm?" a nearby but distant-feeling voice hummed. The CEO focused on making the EEG pads stick like they should to her friends temple. Lena placed her index finger on the pad and smoothed it out, adjusted the cable so that it sat perfectly. It had to sit perfectly or the data could be read wrong. 

And they had to know how much time they had left. 

Kara was going into the second week of the second phase, when it was calculated to take only a few days. But the medicine was helping, slowing the parasite down. Lena smoothed the pad out more than she needed.  _ It needed to be perfect. _

“I could to this myself you know, I don’t need you helping me all the time,” the reporter said. “No offense at all, I just think maybe you should rest.” she filled in. 

_ Rest.  _ Lena wanted to snort. Rest was overrated. Sure, it felt good a few hours afterwards, but the guilt that came with it? No, it was not worth it. 

_ Kara dying. No, not worth it. _

That was why Lena had sworn to dedicate all her time to finding the cure. She will not lose Kara. She will not rest and waste her time, there was too much at stake. 

What if she was resting, and Kara entered phase C when she was asleep? What would happen then? 

They were to many what-ifs, and Lena refused to let any of them come true. Alex and Maggie had hidden her work stuff, it was ‘only because we want to help you, you need to rest’ they said. But what the older couple and Kara was oblivious to, was that she was a great hacker. And a secret government organizations mainframe was no match for a Luthor. Lena easily hacked into and accessed all their work, notes and research on Kara’s condition, rewrote them in her own documents and kept working theoretically on the matter. From a practical standpoint it was harder to get to L-Corp or a lab when Alex and Maggie practically put a house arrest on her, besides the fact that Kara needed supervision during these unstable times. She could exhibit the next phase at any moment, and she wouldn’t be  able to communicate it before it happened. That’s what made it so scary. And that s why Lena was so stressed to finish the cure. That is why Lena didn’t stop working except for when Kara needed help with something.

She was close.  _ So close  _ to finding the right formula. Just a few adjustments of the components and then they were supposed to be good.

“I’m fine Kara, now tilt your head,” Lena mumbled absently, put her hand for a quick second on Kara’s chin to tilt it to the left before picking up the other EEG pad and sticking it to her temple. 

“Lenaaa,” Kara whined. “I know you are not sleeping and I’m feeling guilty for it.” 

Lena didn’t stop smoothing the pad out. “Sleep is overrated.” she mumbled. 

“Lena Kieran Luthor, you are a human, and humans need sleep. Like  _ lots  _ of it to stay physically and mentally healthy. And if I can’t get you to rest, I’m going to call Alex and Maggie. I love them and all, but the reason for which I would be calling... I don’t want it to get to that point.” 

The CEO just shrugged. 

“Lena, please. Can you just take a nap? Just a little small tiny nap. If you won’t do it for yourself, then do it for me. I can’t remember the last time I saw you rest.”

Lena stopped, adapted an irritated demeanor. “Well I remember the last time I rested. It was stupid and a waste of valuable time. During my nap  _ that I should not have taken _ , you woke up for the first time in what? 30 hours? And I missed it. You got worse and needed to get help, and I missed it. When this was all new, you got worse after I left you for work, and you then later deteriorated the same day at lunch at Noonan’s. Every time I rest, every time I stop working, you get worse. You get closer to me losing you. You need the cure more for each passing second. I will not rest until it is done. Period.”

The CEO stood up from the chair that she had placed beside the couch. With slender fingers she took the aluminum canister in her hand and pressed it to life. Alex said that Winn had told her that it took 7-8 hours for it to read results.

 “I don’t want to call Maggie Lena, you know that she is going to flip over this. They think you are better. You aren’t. I know that. So Lee please, just take one nap,” Kara tried again, voice shaking a little. Kara wasn’t exactly one to get  _ easily emotional _ , but with Lena her voice quivered just a little too much if it got too tense or if Kara got upset.

_ Maggie. What was Maggie ever going to do? Threaten me with taking my laptop? I have my phone.  _ "No, Kara. Call Maggie all you want. I need to help you . I have to help you.”

“Lena I really don’t want to call-”

“Leave me alone Kara. I need to be able to focus.”

/

** Kara Danvers: Alex, I need you and Maggie. Right now. **

Alex frowned at her phone, a sting of panic shooting over her spine.  _ Why? _

** : Why? Lena is with you. Is everything okay? **

** Kara Danvers: Lena IS the problem; she just won’t stop working. I’m really worried for her Alex. **

_ What the hell?  _ T _ hey had been over this! How many times will it take for this Luthor to understand that she will break in two if she keeps working like she does. And now she is doing even more?  _ Alex puckered her lips, shook her head.

** : How could she possibly be able to work when Maggie  ** ** took ** ** all her things? **

** Kara Danvers: Laptop. **

_ Of course.  _

** : Have you tried talking to her? **

** Kara Danvers: Is my name Kara? **

** : I’m calling Maggie, she ends her shift in ten I think. We’ll come by. Damn I’m disappointed. ** ** Why can’t she just listen to us! **

** Kara Danvers: Okay ** ** I know... ** ** But Alex please be nice ** ** I don’t want anything bad happening to Lena **

** : Bad things will happen to Lena if she keeps defying human limits. I’ll see you in fifteen Kara. **

Alex shuffled out of the sparring room and into the locker room. The fingers attached to bruised knuckles pressed her partners name on the phone, the agent only having to wait a few seconds before she answered.

**_ “Danvers! Hey!” _ **

_ “Mags, I need your help.” _

**_ “Sureeee... Is it work?” _ **

_ “No. It’s Lena.” _

**_ “Please don’t tell me-” _ **

_ “Yes she is, and it’s worse. At least Kara said so. And Kara is terrified of you and me close to Lena in these situations. You know how she reacted when we touched the subject last week. Kara wouldn’t tell me about it asking for help if she really didn’t have to.” _

Maggie sighed on the other side of the line.  **_ "I’ll be by the DEO in five,” _ **

_ “Doesn’t your shift end 9PM?”  _

**_ “This is more important.” _ **

Now Alex sighed.  _ "If you say so. Love you.” _

**_ “Love you back.” _ **

The line went silent. Five minutes passed. Alex took a reluctant pit stop in the med bay before joining Maggie in her car and then they were on their way.

/

Keys on a keychain rattled outside the door, the sound of a steel key being pressed into the lock and then it’s satisfying click when it was locked open. Handle pressed down, door opening. In came Kara’s sister and her girlfriend.

Lena shook her head, kept focusing on the letters and numbers before her. Jotte d something down on a napkin with a SpongeBob pen, as it was the only  few  things she could get her hands on.  Over her ears were noise-cancelling headphones, with extremely loud music in them, so high that the music leaked out from the cups and Kara was seriously  worried for her hearing.

Kara was sitting across from her on the kitchen island with her hands on her chin, defeated look on her face.  “Lena stop ignoring me.....Leeeeeee!” Kara pleaded once more when she saw the couple entering their apartment, fearing what they would do. Kara won’t let it happen. Lena would be so sad if they did what Kara thought they would do. Kara won’t let that happen. She won’t let her best friend get hurt. Kara won’t let that happen.

Alex swallowed. Whispered something to Maggie who nodded. The agent then made her way to her sister, placing her hand on Kara’s shoulders , who puffed out her chest when Alex came closer. Maggie still stood in the foyer. 

“Hey sis, why don’t you go to bed hmm? You need to rest.”

Kara lifted her eyes from the  backside of Lena’s laptop, sheer doubt the only thing shown in her eyes. “Why?”

Alex inhaled. “Because you need to rest.” 

“But-”

“Kara. Go to bed.”  Alex insisted. 

“No, I don’t want to. You don’t get to tell me what to do.”  Kara said, she knew exactly why she needed to leave the room.  _ I won’t let that happen. _

“Quit it Kara. Now go I need to talk with Lena.”

“You are not,” Kara’s voice lowered into the most silent of whispers. “only going to talk to her. I knew that you would to this ! I told you not to!” she whisper - shouted, Lena still oblivious to what the two sisters were hissing about behind her laptop as she was deep in her work bubble and very determined to show both the sisters and Maggie  that she didn’t care if they were there or not. Lena wanted to make sure that they understood that she was ignoring and rejecting their existence at this moment. She raised the volume even more.

Maggie  still just stood and observed as Lena did so .

“Kara. We will try to avoid it. But if it comes to it, we will do it. Either with your consent or not. This is not your choice to make. Lena has been going on without sleep for far too long and it will  begin  take effects on her. It is not healthy. Lena is not healthy. Lena needs help. Our help. Now, leave because I know you will flip your shit if you see this.” she tried explaining, voice clear and serious.

Blue eyes were brimmed with angry tears. Still whispering.  “No, I will not leave her.  I won’t accept it.” 

“Then I’m sorry.” Alex said reluctantly as she leaned back again.

A small pinch in her hip.  A hot liquid finding its way down her legs and then creeping upwards.

_ Shit. Shit. Shit. _

“No " Kara hissed between her teeth.  “Alex  stop . Stop . Alex.”

The younger sisters hand instinctively found its way to a grip around the elder's arm.

Maggie made her way to stand beside Lena , put her hands on the island. “Kara, it is for your and Lena’s best. This is the only way.”

The kryptonite laced sedative did not take long to take effect, the blonde started dragging her words and the letters bled into a slur. With her mouth still trying to form Lena’s and Alex’s name, her eyes rolled back and Alex caught her body, hauling her over her shoulder. 

“What the hell are you doing!” Lena yelled as she finally  lifted her  eyes. She had not noticed anything going on except the couple entering and Lena just wanted to ignore them and keep working. But now Kara was unconscious for some reason. “I said what the hell are you doing!”

“This was the only way. Kara is a superhero. Kara is stronger than us.  Kara doesn’t agree with our methods. So this was the only way, since you refuse to listen.”

Lena's heart picked up its pace as Alex made her way to the bedroom, her sister hanging limply over her shoulders, arms and head swaying back and forth as Alex took new steps. “Maggie you are scaring me. What are you guys doing?”

_ Good. Point made.  _ Maggie internally did a  fist pump. The goal was to scare Lena, they had no other tactic left. They needed to scare her into thinking that if she didn’t take care of herself, they would take care of her for her. If she wouldn’t rest, they were going to make her rest. It was extreme, it really was, but it was the only option they had left. Lena was going to damage herself if she would fend off sleep any longer. She was going on overdrive, and she would crash. They just wanted to prevent that crash.  _ It was for her best. _

“You are going to get two options now Lena.” Maggie said loud and clear.

Lena didn’t answer, she just sat in shock looking at Kara being carried across the apartment. She was out cold. 

“The first one, which I doubt you’ll choose, is that  you’ll give us your laptop, phone and iPad. You are also giving us every single document you have hidden here. You will immediately go to bed, and you can lie down beside Kara if you want in the bedroom, and you will not leave until you have rested for at least 8 hours. Either you sleep, or you look at the ceiling, it doesn’t matter what matters is that you don’t do anything to stimulate your brain. This rule applies every single day.”

“The second one,” Maggie continued as Alex closed the bedroom door behind her when she came out again, this time without a limp reporter over her shoulder. “is that we will help you rest. It is simple. You either rest willingly, or not. You don’t have any other options.”

Lena just sat silent, she didn’t know what to say. She had sworn to make the cure work and she would. Lena had decided.  _ I am not letting Kara die. _

“Sleep deprivation prevents your immune system from building up its forces. If you don't get enough sleep, your body will not be able to fend off invaders. It may also take you longer to recover from illness. That part you have already passed. Remember your stuffy nose?” Alex said as the agent with a medical degree she was.

“Long-term sleep deprivation increases your risk for chronic illnesses like diabetes and heart disease, and by Brainy’s calculations you are halfway there. So, Lena. Time to choose.”

_ It isn’t worth it. _ Lena understood their plan, their tactic. They wanted to scare her by “hurting” Kara. But what she didn’t understand was why they not could get it into their brains that Kara was going to  _ die _ and maybe hurt people if she didn’t get Lena’s help. She needed the cure and if the research Lena read was something to go by, the DEO was doing absolutely terribly. Lena was making progress. She will not stop until its done. Not when she is so close.  _ It isn’t worth it. I will not let Kara die. I will not let Maggie and Alex stop me from saving Kara.  _

“I choose to help Kara. I choose to finish this formula. I choose to don’t give a fuck about your options. I choose to let Kara live and I refuse to let her die.”

“Lena, think about what you are saying now. Kara is not going to die. She is not going to die because you are resting-” Alex got cut off.

“EVERY TIME I REST HER CONDITION GETS WORSE. THE ONLY WAY WORSE IT CAN GET NOW IS THAT SHE ENTERS PHASE C. I AM THE ONLY ONE ON THIS STUPID EARTH THAT CAN HELP HER AND I WILL TO EVERY COST. NOW GET THE HELL OUT OF MY APARTMENT!” Lena screamed. She had never screamed like that before. Maybe it was fear. Maybe it was anger. Maybe a mix of both.

Alex and Maggie met eyes. The tallest of them dangerously close to breaking into tears but Maggie reassured her with her eyes and nodded. They needed to do this. They had tried everything under the sun already. Lena is hurting herself, and as the extra older-sisters they felt like to her, they will not let that happen. They knew that Kara felt the same, that she didn’t want Lena to hurt herself, but they knew that Kara is against their methods and would stand in their way and make it worse. That is why they needed to take her out.

Lena wasn’t only hurting herself by constantly feeding her brain with complicated calculations, she was hurting Kara too, because Kara knew that if she wasn’t sick, Lena wouldn’t be manically working like a machine like this. Kara felt guilty, it was her fault. But right now Kara didn’t feel anything. She was drowned in an ocean of black goo that hindered her from thinking at all.

“Okay. We understand. We know you want to help Kara. But you are not helping right now, you are only making it worse.” Maggie said, lifted her hand to Lena’s back. 

Lena instantly pulled back from the touch. “Do not touch me!”

“Lena we-”

“Leave! Just leave!”

Lena was still yelling, Alex trying to calmly get closer to Lena and  Maggies hand still hovering over  the CEO’s back. Another quick nod between the couple. “Lena? Calm down.” both the agent and detective locked on Lena. 

“NO! Leave me and Kara alone!” Lena screamed. She was starting to freak out, her overwhelming fatigue making her panicky and stressed. “Leave!” 

“Lena calm down we just want to help you,” Maggie insisted as softly as she could – her hand that wasn’t hovering behind Lena’s back creeping towards Lena’s laptop. Lena saw this and quickly snatched the laptop of the bench. “Don’t touch it! Don’t touch me! Leave!”

Lena was frantic. The couple was  concerned  about her behavior. She was sleep deprived and hypersensitive due to her not ever resting, and the couple was prepared for it, but not this. She was crazy. Overly protective of her work as she guarded the laptop like a bunny from predators. “Lena you have to-” 

“ Nooo ! Get out! Get out!  Leeeeaaaveee !” the younger woman yelled, eyes brimming with tears and her face red, head spinning. 

“Woah Lena easy there,” Maggie took an instinctive step backwards when the strong voice reverbed against the walls. “Listen to yourself,” 

Lena just sobbed, crawled up on the stool, hunching over her precious laptop with all her progress. “Please,” 

The voice was so small, so fragile and made the couple’s hearts shatter into a million pieces. “Lena-”

“You are killing Kara you know? She is dying and it’s because of you. You won’t let me save her-” she said, voice low and quivering. She sat in her tremors on the stool hunched up around her laptop. “I won’t let you kill Kara.” her breathing picked up. 

Lena’s head spun a thousand miles per hour the only coherent feeling being anger. Anger at Alex and Maggie for hurting Kara and willingly letting her die. Lena will not lose Kara. It was over her dead body that somebody will take her from her. Kara was the person that mattered the most in the entire world to her, who took care of her and was Lena’s closest and best friend in the entire world. Lena wanted them to be more than friends but wouldn’t let herself think about it, afraid to get rejected if she said a word too many. But if Kara was taken away from her Lena would never  have the opportunity to express her feelings.  _ Kara would be gone.  _ What do you do in these situations? When somebody is doing something very wrong? You fight. And that’s exactly what Lena decided to do in her hazy state.  _ Fight for Kara. _

“I won’t let you kill Kara,” Lena said again, but this time the voice was hard, filled with authority and a harshness neither Alex nor Maggie was used to.

The  couples thoughts were racing. Maggie wanting to get it over with as Lena was growing more and more  upset but Alex wanted to give Lena a chance to calm down.

“Lena please calm down, there is no need to be upset. We had to do what we did to Kara for her best. She would’ve gone overboard and because of her condition she could accidentally hurt herself or us if she got upset. And we knew she was going to be upset. Kara is not going to die.”

“I won’t let you kill  Kara, I won’t let you kill Kara.” Lena kept mumbling to herself as  some kind of mantra . “Lena?” Alex met eyes with Maggie for a quick second before asking the CEO.

“I won’t let you kill Kara. I won’t let you kill Kara. I won’t let you kill Kara,” Lena began rocking back and forth. It hit Alex.  _ Breakdown. Crash.  _ The one they wanted to prevent.  _ Shit. _

“I won’t let you kill  Kara, I won’t let kill’ Kara.” she kept repeating, the words growing more and more incoherent.

“She’s going to pass out.” Maggie stated after worriedly observing her younger friend. In the background was Lena’s mumbles still going, the syllables getting more and more slurred and dragged. Maggie ushered behind Lena and by this time the CEO was struggling against her body, lips wanting to keep talking but the rest of the body preventing it. “let you.. kara ...won’t..” Lena’s words bled out, and she let go. Maggie caught her and Alex with her highly trained reaction skillsets managed to catch the laptop Lena had been clinging to. 

The apartment was suddenly eerily quiet. Alex and Maggie didn’t know what to say. 

They carried Lena into the bedroom and with a certain tenderness they pulled the duvet over her, each pressing a kiss to both younger women's foreheads. Whispered a “we’re sorry.” before slipping out to the living room area, closing the door behind them. When Maggie closed the door, her back remained plastered to its surface as she slid down against the wall, Alex doing the exact same next to her. The unused syringe rolled out of Maggie’s palm and onto the floor. And both broke.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sjkakjhdsgfi sorry guys 
> 
> @emilydanvers1 on twitter xD


	16. "Maybe it was going to be okay after all."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some feeling explanation here, fix-it chapter because DAMN the last chapter was intense but who knows? Maybe it was going to be okay after all. ;))))))))))))

Light pierced darkness. Conscious pierced subconscious. All-too familiar pain in her head.

A small shift beside her, weight pressing the surface below her a little lower. Kara fluttered an eye open, defied the throbbing pain in her head, ignored it even. It was dark, but not pitch black – so Kara could trace a silhouette through the darkness. A silhouette with shoulders inwards, legs over the edge and head hanging. As seconds passed, the silhouette’s shoulders went up and down, and as Kara’s hearing returned to her , small sobs matched the ups and downs of the figure’s movements. Irregular breathing hitched with sniffles staying in her ears. 

_ Lena. _

The blonde tried shifting closer to her best friend, but to no avail as her limbs didn’t even flinch. She tried again, managing to lift her left index finger. Then came the rest of the fingers and soon her whole arm was usable, her right arm joining short after. Blinking both eyes open now, she opened her mouth to say something, but couldn’t. She tried again. She managed with a low grunt that managed to time exactly when Lena sobbed. She tried again.

“Lena?” she managed to half choke half whisper with her hoarse voice and  _ wow _ her throat hurt.

A louder sniffle, the figure (this is what Kara thought she did anyways) using the back of her hand to run it under her nose before rubbing both palms over her eyes. The silhouette turned around and sure enough it was Lena. Or at least Kara thought so, she didn’t recognize this kind of emotion on her best friend. Her eyes, they said something. 

Green eyes shot through darkness, only that they were dulled with red lines and wet, hot unshed tears. In this lighting her hair appeared black, and it flowed graciously over her one shoulder. 

Kara tried to remember. Tried to remember what happened. But she couldn’t. She remembered the EEG pad and Lena’s devotion to  _ really  _ make them stick, but after that it was blurry. Now Kara was in bed, Lena beside her looking absolutely  _ broken. _

Suddenly Kara was wide awake, alert as ever.  _ Why was Lena so sad? Who hurt her? _

“Lena? What happened? Oh Lee, come here,” Kara whispered, opened her arms for the CEO to slide in between. And she did. Lena crawled up next to Kara and threw her arms around her neck so quickly even someone with superspeed was startled. Slowly Kara’s one hand lowered onto the dark-haired woman's back and began rubbing in comforting circles, the other hand lifting to brush hair away from her friend ' s face. “What happened?” Kara whispered again, caressing the side of Lena’s face.

But Lena just trembled, arms around Kara as if she was clinging on for life. 

/

“ ShitShitShitShitShitShitShitShitSHITSHITSHITSHIT !” she paced back and forth. “What did we just do!” 

“Alex I-”

“Maggie this is so bad,” she cried out. “This is so, so bad.”

“Please Alex just c-”

“They will never forgive us! They will never forget! There was a line and we crossed it a thousand times! Lena is never going to trust us again and Kara is going to hate me! I-I-I sedated her Maggie! Oh my god I sedated Kara! This is so bad!” the agent stumbled characteristically with her words and stutter ed as she always did when upset.

Maggie gave up trying to reason with her girlfriend as she paced back and forth in the lab. Crossed her arms over her chest, hugged herself around the black leather jacket. 

They sedated Kara.

They scared Lena when she was in a  really vulnerable and fragile state, so bad that she passed out.

Then they left the apartment.

Like criminals from  a crime scene.

_ Yeah. We are fucked. _

When the taller woman bumped the tray littered with test glasses and weird colored liquids so bad that it made a loud noise and almost got knocked over, Maggie had to calm her down.

“Easy, easy there.” she put her hands around Alex who stood still for a while before she sank into Maggie’s touch.

“We’re such bad people Maggie,” she sniffled.

“No, we’re not bad people, we made a human mistake and now we have to pay for it. We had the best of intentions and we only wanted to help.”

“But we just made it worse I-I-I" Alex stuttered, shaking her head and breaking the hug.

“It didn’t go as planned. It really didn’t. But I doubt that Lena and Kara won’t forgive us in time, we have to believe that.” Maggie tried reassuring.

Alex was quiet for a moment, trying her best to school her features. “You don’t think we’re bad people?”

“No, I don’t. It was a mistake. A seemingly bad one, but Kara and Lena are smart women, we must believe that they’ll understand. We didn’t mean any harm.” 

“I-I don’t know I just- I feel so, so guilty.”

Maggie just hugged her girlfriend tighter. Maggie had to remain the beacon of hope.

/

“Hey, hey honey what’s wrong? Are you in pain?” the blonde asked, concerned with the way Lena shook and trembled. But the older woman just kept quivering beside her, and Kara was sure that if she was human, that grip Lena had around her probably would hurt. “Lena, are you hurt?”

The CEO shook her head before turning it against Kara’s chest, muting a sob. Hot air heated Kara’s skin on her chest through her t-shirt when Lena puffed and sniffled against it. “Okay, that’s good. Hey, easy, calm down, I'm here.” Kara reassured, making sure to use her most soft and gentle voice when whispering. “Hey,” she said again. “what happened?”

“They sedated you and you just passed out and-and I didn’t know why because I wasn’t listening and I-” she sniffled. “I just looked up and then  sh -she carried you  ov -over her shoulder and then then she-she started talk-king to me and I said that I won’t l-let you die so they ca-can't take my stuff and-” she paused and sucked in air as Kara had instructed her to do through charades when she choked her way through the events. “then everything went so fast and then s-super slow and then I was really dizzy so I tried closing my eyes to m-make it g-go away and then  nex-xt thing that ha-happened I opened my eyes again and I was bes-beside you and you looked-” She stopped as she broke into a sob.

Kara brushed her hair away from her face, wiped a tear away from  Lena’s cheek with her thumb. “looked like what?”

“dead. You looked dead Kara.”

_ Oh. _

Lena sobbed again and Kara was getting seriously concerned if a human was supposed to be able to shake this much. “Hey, sweetheart. I’m not going anywhere. I’m right here.”

There was a silence for a few seconds.

“You promise?” Lena asked with a stuffy voice.

“I promise.” The blonde replied, enveloping her best friend in her arms.

/

**_ “Alexandra Danvers! You did what?!”  _ **

Closing her eyes, she winced. _'_ _I’m in for a ride._ _’_ She thought.

_ “I didn’t think.” _

**_ “ _ ** **_ Y _ ** **_ ou know how angry your sister got when you pulled your little trick last year!  _ ** **_ Oh _ ** **_ and by the way, the method you used last year was actually kind of competent _ ** **_ , b _ ** **_ ut this? I am both  _ ** **_ dis _ ** **_ ap _ ** **_ pointed _ ** **_ and angry with you.”  _ **

_ “I am so, so, so sorry Mom I didn’t mean- I just wanted to help Lena,” _

**_ “Don’t apologize to me. You have a sister who you have sedated against her will and a younger friend who you scared unconscious. This is your mess to clean up and you  _ ** **_ have to _ ** **_ start now. You  _ ** **_ have to _ ** **_ call Kara. Now.” _ **

_ “But Mom I don’t think she’ll answer she is probably so mad, if she has even woken up yet. Oh my god Mom! What have we done! _ _ Kara will hate me forever! _ _ ” _

There was a silence.

**_ “You had good intentions Alexandra. You made a mistake. I don’t know Lena that well, but I know that your sister has a very big heart, and I doubt she will hate you _ ** **_ forever _ ** **_.” _ **

_ “Mom I scared her best friend unconscious. I scared my friend by sedating Kara, and I didn’t consider that she was probably hypersensitive. It was never the plan I-I don’t know how to fix this now Mom.” _

**_ “Alexandra my beautiful daughter. I love you very much. I think you know  _ ** **_ exactly  _ ** **_ how to fix this.” _ **

Alex didn’t answer. She was just silent on her side of the line trying to remain calm. 

**_ “You have to talk to her.” _ **

_ “She won’t pick up.” _

**_ “I doubt that.” _ **

**_ / _ **

She deflated again when Kara’s fingers brushed through her hair, calming her down as the hitches  still remained within Lena’s breath. Held her tighter, so that she could never lose her. As if she held on tight enough, maybe the parasite would disappear, and Kara wouldn’t die. If she held on tight enough, maybe it was all going to be back to normal again. No tubes. No cannulas. No alcohol. No medicine. No med bay and no sedatives. Lena held on even tighter. 

“Lena honey, you are going to hurt yourself if you hug me tighter” Kara whispered as she ran a hand through the CEO’s hair. Lena relaxed a little, but not all the way. She still trembled in between Kara’s arms and with Kara’s free arm she pulled the thick duvet over them, hoping that Lena’s tremors were induced by her freezing. They weren’t. 

Kara’s head was spinning.  _ Why did Alex and Maggie do that? Did I do something wrong? Oh god! Did I need to be sedated?!  _ A sting of panic in her chest over the fact that it may have been  _ her  _ fault that all this happened.  _ What happened to Lena? Did she have a panic attack? Does she even have those? Where is Alex? Maggie? _

“Where are they?” Kara asked softly.

Lena sniffled. “I don’t know, they umm... they were gone when I woke up,”

Kara nodded in understanding. “okay,” 

They laid there, their breaths falling in sync as Lena calmed down when she followed Kara’s breathing. Lena pressed herself more into Kara who enveloped and comforted her as best as she could. That is, until a ringtone was heard from outside the room.

Kara pressed a quick kiss on the top of Lena’s head before sliding out of bed and out the door. It was bright and it hurt her eyes – reminding her that she still had a bad headache. She had to hold the med canister in her hand as she moved around, but it was  way  better than dragging a stupid hospital pole behind her. Kara bent down and winced when another pain shot through her head, different than what she had ever felt before. It passed after a few seconds though, and Kara could finally pick her phone off the couch and answer. 

_ “Alex.” _ she said.

**_ “Kara!  _ ** **_ I.. _ ** **_ I – _ ** **_ um _ ** **_ I hoped you would pick up,” _ **

_ “ _ _ Mhmm _ _...go on.”  _ Kara said coldly. The only thing she knew was that Lena was hurt and it was because of her sister and her sister's girlfriend.

**_ “I um... First of all I-I am  _ ** **_ sooo _ ** **_ sorry it was an irrational action that I can’t take back and I- I didn’t know what to do so I panicked and the single thing I could think about was not letting Lena hurt herself anymore so I thought that if I sedated her she could get some rest like we did with you last year because that went pretty okay but then I-I panicked again because I knew that you wouldn’t allow it so I thought like an agent and I painted you as an obstacle in front of my goal so I had to get rid of you. Or not get rid of you but I think you know what I mean I just- I didn’t want to hurt any of you I just wanted to help. The plan was that you should have gone into your room and we gave Lena an option to either drink a sedative or we would inject her. It sounds so  _ ** **_ extreme  _ ** **_ but you  _ ** **_ have to _ ** **_ understand that we were just so stressed and worried so we made a stupid decision that I know we can’t take back, but I just wanted to say that I'm really, really sorry. Maggie is too.”  _ ** Alex stuttered out, regret clear in her words.

Kara took a deep breath.  _ “wow,” _

**_ “I am so, so sorry.” _ **

Kara swallowed. Frowned.  _ "You never apologize through the phone. Why are you not here telling us you guys are sorry to both of us? I think you actually hurt Lena more than me.” _

The last sentence shattered Alex’s heart.

**_ “I um... I-I am here. Or I mean I’m outside of your apartment right now I just I couldn’t bear to get  _ ** **_ in _ ** **_ so I called instead.” _ **

_ “Then get in,” _ Kara said, not as coldly this time. Believe it or not, she  actually understood that both Maggie’s and Alex’s intentions were good-hearted. They just wanted to help. Also, Kara was very relieved that  _ she _ hadn’t been the reason that she had to be sedated. That  _ she  _ had crossed a line. Kara silently thanked Rao for that.

An awkward low click was heard from the main door when the handle was pressed down. In came Alex, looking like a kicked puppy with its tail between its legs. Maggie followed after, head a little higher, but looked remorseful , nonetheless. Her eyes were plastered to the floor, she couldn’t manage to get herself to look up. Alex awkwardly stood herself next to the counter, one hand on a stool and the other one  lifting  to cover her eyes. 

Kara couldn’t help but feel sympathy for her sister. Yes, she made a stupid and wrong decision , but Kara was fine. Yes, Kara was a little mad at her , but she knew that Alex only wanted to help and would cross any line to do it. So that is why Alex found herself inside of her sister ' s strong embrace . Alex sank into the touch immediately. Sobbed against her shoulder. “I am so, so sorry.”

Kara hugged her tighter.  “I know you are,”

The youngest l ooked over her s ister’s s houlder and saw Maggie still staring at the floor.  Kara recognized it, the fight within her.

Kara nudged her with her hand, raising Maggie’s  watery  eyes to her. “Come here’” Kara said in a low voice. Soon the three ladies found themselves in a group hug. Kara broke it after a few seconds. 

“Now, you have to apologize to the one who you hurt most .”

/

It was with great reluctancy that Lena tore her gaze from the dark ceiling when the door was opened, and a wave of brightness washed into the room. She let her green eyes fall upon three figures that stood in backlight. Immediately knowing who the trio was, she plastered her eyes to the ceiling again. The CEO didn’t know how to feel. There were so many emotions but also none at the same time. Anger, guilt, sadness, hurt, exhaustion, disappointment and even a little tiny bit of understanding, all blended into a big pile of nothing. That is why Lena remained silent with her hollow eyes following the ceiling fans slow rotations on the  roof over her. 

Alex swallowed. Maggie swallowed. Kara swallowed.

“Hi Lena,” the detective tried cautiously. 

Lena swallowed in reaction to her name from a voice different from the comforting one that belonged to her roommate. 

Maggie bit her lip. Decided. Made a move towards the big bed. A hand on her arm. “Don’t”. 

Maggie jerk ed her arm loose. She crawled up to the end of the bed, put her legs up on the bed too. Carefully Maggie rested her hand on the bump  that was  under the duvet. Lena didn’t pull away. 

“Lena we -  _ I -  _ am so sorry. I am so bad at apologizing and I don’t have a good excuse other than we only wanted to help. You were seriously starting to hurt yourself and I panicked, I wanted you to stop right away. It was my idea from the beginning, and it was my idea that spiraled out of control and scared you and I’m so, so sorry. Alex tried to convince me that there were other ways, but I felt like we already tried everything, so I thought like a cop, because you weren't listening to me as a friend. I thought of the matter like you were a criminal who kept committing the same crime repeatedly even though I had warned you of the consequences. It was how I handled Kara too, when she was spiraling out of control. It’s the only way I've learned to deal with things, until I met Alex and you guys. You’ve changed my way of thinking and I can’t thank you enough, but sometimes my old habits slip through, especially when I am upset or worried. And for that I am so sorry. I know I can’t take anything back. I’m sorry for scaring you. I’m sorry for being a bad friend. I am sorry about what happened. I understand if you don’t want anything to do with me, but I still hope you someday can forgive me and understand that my intentions were caring. I was only worried for your well-being and I wanted to help, even if my actions didn’t reflect that.”

“It wasn’t just Maggie’s idea. I had just as a big part of it. I am sorry too. I really am Lena.” Alex filled in.

That little teeny tiny seed of understanding grew bigger in Lena’s chest, but a part of her didn’t want to be that forgiving. She was a Luthor, and  Luthors don’t forgive. They remember and plot revenge. But Lena didn’t want to plot anything. She wanted to say that it was okay, even if she wasn’t, and she wanted to say that she understood, because she did. Lena knew that she crossed a line. Lena knew that she was hurting herself, she had started to feel the effects herself. Constantly irritated, a constant headache, loss of focus, l ack  of  general  care and the feeling of consisting of  nothing more than  a hollow shell had grown bigger and more convincing. Lena had lost track of time, it either stood completely still or  just  flew past. She had been unfocused and clumsy with Kara’s meds, forgetting about it or giving the wrong amount. She had been so lost a few times that she forgot the meaning of different words, having to angrily wonder what the word “attachment” meant for  far  too long. It was getting worse, and she was getting worse at hiding it. She understood that she was making mistakes. She understood that they only wanted to stop her making more. Their methods were questionable, but if Lena were in their shoes maybe she would have done the same. The seed grew larger, bloomed out in all parts of her body. She wanted to say that it was fine, that she was fine, that she understood and that she forgave them. But some sort of self-respect held her back. 

Lena was torn.  So she remained silent again.

When the executive didn’t answer, a wrench twisted all three  womens guts. Even Kara’s. Kara knew that Lena was hurt, that she wasn’t one to show emotion, but Kara thought they had gone past that. Kara had told Lena that if she’s mad, she has to say that she is. Same goes with sad, disappointed, happy or worried. And with stressed, anxious and sick. So when Lena remained silent, Kara had to nudge her slightly as she sat down beside her. “Lee, please say something. Speak your feelings.”

Kara’s words pushed through the mess of emotions, was clear and distinct against the blurs of all the feelings she felt.  _ Speak your feelings.  _ Lena didn’t know what she felt.  So she didn’t know what to say. And that’s what she said.

“I don’t know what feelings I feel Kara.” her voice was sincere and uncertain, trembled a little but Kara could tell she was restraining herself.

Kara put a hand on Lena’s forehead, above the eyes that still were plastered to the ceiling. The warm against her forehead was comforting and grounding, and for some stupid reason her eyes watered up. It just happened naturally, without Lena’s consent to. Kara saw this, brushed her thumb carefully over the surface of Lena’s forehead. “ yes you do, let it out. Speak your feelings. It’s okay.”

And with that, all her feelings suddenly cleared up. She was sad. Really,  really sad . About the possible death of the woman she secretly loved, about her not being good enough to fix a cure, about her having to watch Kara deteriorate, about the situation with Maggie and Alex, about her struggling to clear her name, about her whole damn life situation right now.  So Lena broke, with Maggie and Alex’s eyes on her, and with Kara’s hand on her forehead. 

/

When Lena turned her face to the pillow and her whole body visibly tensed, Kara’s heart broke and she couldn’t help but pout in sympathy. When inevitable muffled sobs filled the silent air, Maggie crawled up all the way on the bed, stopping when she was parallel to Lena. There she put an arm around her and hugged her, whispered an ‘I’m so sorry’ as Lena kept pushing her face into the pillow. Alex made her way to Lena too, lied down on the other side of the executive and hugged her from that way, sandwiching her. Kara bit away a little smile and impossibly found a gap for her to fill too. Lena didn’t pull away, in fact she wanted to sink into the embrace and hug them back, but some sort of block in her head stopped her, making her only able to press her face deeper into the silk of the pillow. Lena was angry, but at the same time she wasn’t. She was just sad, so incredibly sad. The thought of losing Kara struck her again, and she turned around to throw her arms around Kara, melting into her and not wanting to let go. The Sawyer-Danvers couple thought the little shift in position was cute, and quickly repositioned themselves to keep the group hug going.

Maybe it was going to be okay after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what do you guys think? Is Lena going to be able to forgive them? How long does Kara have left? Is she already in Phase C?   
> So many questions ;P


	17. "Lena, I can't. Not again."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> woopie woopie toot toot fiNALLY A NEW CHAPTER!! I've been so so so busy with school and my mh lately, and in fact this chapter is being posted on a school computer, as I am in a lecture in this very moment, oops? No-one has ever died by a little multitasking, right?
> 
> Anyways I'd like to thank each and every one of you who take the time to give kudos and comment, it makes me really, really happy. Feedback is GREATLY appreiciated so please don't hesitate to comment what you think, anything it all. It just makes me so, SO happy to know that people are reading.
> 
> That's enough of a blabble this time. But seriously, THANK YOU. I promise I will not take as long to write the next chapter as I'm sure of how the plot will play out. 
> 
> Enjoy =)

“ _ mag'lubiyat. _ ”

“ hmph ...what?” Alex rubbed her eyes. “ Wha’ya  say hm?” A yawn forced the elder sisters mouth open.

Amber sunlight poured through the gaps the blinds didn’t fill. Stripes of golden sunlight hitting all four women in one single bed. Neither of them had moved from their spot yesterday, rather exhaustion from the long day that was, taking out its deserved right. 

_ Someone probably just talked in their sleep. _  Alex thought.

She  had to rub her eyes again, as her contacts weren't clearing up. She ran a hand over her neck and scratched in her hair. Yawned again. Squinted with one eye open. Alex sniffled. Saw Maggie, Kara and the back of Lena’s head, neither moving, all deep in sleep. Maggie closest to her, as the detective subconsciously had turned and rolled over to face her girlfriend in her sleep, snuggling up to Alex, who was on the far left. Behind Maggie, Alex could see raven hair that couldn’t belong to anyone else except Lena. For the first time in a very long while the CEO’s hair wasn’t up, rather down over one shoulder where Kara’s hand had placed it. Actually, Alex thought she could see a hand in that raven hair, a  sunkissed  tan glowing in contrast to the almost black hair that was Lena’s. Alex scoffed. 

_ J _ _ ust friends huh? Mhhhmmm.... _

Following the hand and then arm it led to her sister, whose chest heaved calmly up and down, and whose were glasses still on. But Kara was frowning. She only did that during nightmares.

_ Ugh, Not now.  _

But this was something else, Alex could swear Kara was making small,  tiny little  almost unnoticeable little jerks with her head. Small tics, back and forth, almost no movement at all. 

_ What the hell? _

“ mag'lubiyat . ” 

There, that thing. The thing that woke her up. There it was again. Alex had never heard it before. It wasn’t  kryptonian , the words rolled differently. It sounded unnatural and unusual. It was like a sleep mumble, but a mumble that solemnly consisted of random letters that made no sense together. It was said during an exhale, and as Kara was deep in sleep, her voice was low and filled with breath. 

“Kara? Are you awake? Stop doing that.”

No reaction. Alex stretched over both her girlfriend and Lena, gently pushing Kara by the shoulder. Unfortunately, as Alex wasn’t so flexible and smooth in her early morning hours,  a n d her n ot-so-subtle maneuver woke both Maggie and Lena, both who sighed and yawned. “Danvers...hmph...what are you  doin ’ up?” Maggie said with sleep-drunken voice , stretching her arms and back out .

“Kara, stop.” Alex pushed her again. 

Lena, who Alex arm was reaching over, tried stretching her arms out but found that they were placed around the blonde. A shot of embarrassment stung her as Lena realized she hadn't stopped hugging Kara since last night. She carefully removed them and wiggled up to sit upright against the headboard to give Alex more space without trapping her. Lena yawned. “What’s up?”

“Hey,” Maggie said as she rose the final bit into full awareness. “Alex, what are you doing?”

“It’s Kara, she said something that woke me up and I don’t even know what language it is. And look, she’s doing that,” Alex placed her hand on Kara’s chin and cheek to keep it still. It kept twitching. “See?”

“ Shhhhhh , you’re just paranoid its fine, she’s just  dreaming  and you know Kar, she always dreams.  She has lots of sleep and dream tells, you know she twitches.  It’s cute. Now, go back to sleep already, it's too early for this anyways,” Maggie yawned.

Lena also yawned once again, this time nodding up and down  in agreement to Maggie. “What time’s it? 5am? Jeez...” 

“No, I-I’m not being paranoid Maggie I  promi se  this -”

“ _ mag'lubiyat _ _. _ ”

Both Lena and Maggie crinkled their foreheads in confusion , flickered their eyes from the blonde and her sister who had proceeded  to do a little  ‘S ee-this-is-exactly-w h at-I-was-talking-about -I -told-you- guys-I' m-not-paranoid ' charade. 

“Kara?” The CEO whispered. Lena couldn’t help but recognize the language  Kara was whispering in , intelligent as she was.

Suddenly, the reporter ceased all movements, honey blonde locks stilled behind her. Four seconds of absolute silence and no movements from any of them, all  awake  women holding their breath. They were all thinking the exact same thing, but none of them wanted to say it out loud, so it remained unsaid. It hit Lena .

“The tracker, her tracker,” She said, eyes stuck on the duvet in front of her, deep in thought. “ That’s not  sleep talking .  We need to look at the percentage. Now” 

As Lena started sliding down the bed, Kara flinched. A big and harsh flinch that startled all three older women. Then she began twitching again.  “ mag'lubiyat . mag'lubiyat . mag'lubiyat . mag'lubiyat . mag'lubiyat -” 

“Kara! Stop it.” Maggie pushed Kara by the shoulder.

“Wake up . ” Alex said too.

The  CEO  followed the electrodes from Kara’s temples into the top drawer of the nightstand. Before pulling the drawer open, she took a deep breath.  _ Not today. Please not today Kara. _

Tensing her underarm, she pulled it open. 

Outside, Lena looked calm. Inside, total  _ chaos. _  “mag'lubiyat.  mag'lubiyat .  mag'lubiyat .  mag'lubiyat .  mag'lubiyat ...” echoing off the walls. 

She bent down over the now opened drawer. Anxious green eyes got met by the red of a digital display. Lena looked at it, and four numbers looked back.  _ 09.67%.  _ Five seconds passed of Lena just staring, and the display changed again.  _ 09.79%. _

_ Fuck. _

_ “ _ We need to wake her up. Now! She’s almost at 10 % . We have to wake her up now or she’s in phase C.”

_ Fuck.  _ Panic latched a grip around the lungs that belonged to Alex, and Maggie’s breathing caught up its pace.  _ No  _ _ Kara _ _. Not today.  _

“Now! Alex- dammit I'll just do it myself! Kara, Kara honey you  _ have  _ to wake up.”

Lena lifted her hands of the edge of the drawer and put them on Kara’s shoulders. Shook them, but not too aggressively. She didn’t want to boost the virus in anyway, not that she had any idea how shaking her by the shoulders would make it worse, but Lena was careful, nonetheless. 

She threw a quick peek at the numbers again.  _ 09.86%  _

_ “ _ Kara, Kara,” she began saying faster, her head still turned against the nightstand watching the numbers before her rise too fast. “Kara wake up-”

“Kara! Wake up right now!” Alex finally burst into action. Maggie joined in too.

“ Mag'lubiyat !” The reporter  hissed , eyes pinched closed and nose deeply crinkled in a frown.

It clicked.  _ I knew it.  _ _ Turixian _ _.  _ _ Kara was talking  _ _ Turixian _ _. A language she had no way of knowing unless...  _

Lena let Alex and Maggie take control of the shaking, because she couldn’t bring herself to shake her best friend as much as she  actually needed  to. Lena took a step back. Looked at the situation in front of her. Looked at the ever-so rising red devilish numbers to the  righ t. Looked at Alex. Looked at Maggie. Looked at the numbers again.  _ Mag'lubiyat.  _ _ Mag'lubiyat _ _. What does it mean? _

It clicked again. Lena understood. Chills shot like lightning bolts over her back and every possible hair on her body stood up. It means defeat.

The virus was telling Kara to give up. To surrender.  To admit defeat.  And she was. She was losing.

It was not her talking.

The CEO just stood frozen, the newly-stricken information laying like a thick blanket over her, making her absolutely handicapped from doing anything. Everything blended into a blur.  _ Not now. Shit! No, I am not doing this. Stay standing. I  _ _ HAVE to _ _  stay standing. Fuck. This is all my fault.  _

Kara silenced again, stopped twitching, the air now only filled by Alex ’s voice still  trying to wake her up,  as  Maggie stopped trying. Maggie had glanced at the numbers behind her girlfriend and her sister. And their ugly numbers had struck her, made her lose hope.  _ It was too late.  _

_ “ _ Kara please, Maggie don’t stop why did you stop,” Alex’s voice broke Maggie’s heart, the detective heard the struggle, the struggle Alex was fighting against to keep it all in. The struggle to try and remain hopeful. That it wasn’t too late. Alex knew it was but refused to believe it. Refused to give her sisters mind to a virus. Refused to even think of the consequences if Kara would enter Phase C. They should’ve fixed the cure by now, but they hadn’t.  _ I am not losing my sister toda _ _ y _ _. Never ever.   _ “Kara, wake up please...”

“ Nononono ,” Alex whined. “NO!  Goddamit  Kara I won’t allow it! You  have to  fight it! You have to,” Alex sobbed.  “Why aren't you doing something!” Alex turned around and yelled. Maggie just kept staring at the numbers, tears pooling but not shedding. “Alex-”

“No! I’m not letting some virus to take over my  sisters  brain! And don’t you think I know what comes after this!  The next phase?!  I know! She dies! My sister dies!  Phase D is  _ fucking  _ death!   I’m not going to let that happen! KARA! WAKE UP!   you have to stay in phase B...KARA! ” Alex kept yelling, panic making her  absolutely frantic , her pushes she administered having zero progress in waking Kara up. 

Lena  finally  snapped back into action  when her favorite person’s name was amplified against empty blue walls .  Snapped her ba ck to reality where she had stood frozen. “We need to leave,”

“I know,” Maggie said, tears now falling but no sob escaping.

“What! Are you crazy! We’re not leaving my sister!”

“Alex she could be dangerous-”

“My sister is not dangerous! NO! No let me go! Maggie let me go!” Alex scream-sobbed when Maggie tried peeling her back, because at this point it was just rough pushes that weren ' t doing any good at all. 

“Alex. We  have to  leave now. Kara isn't Kara now. She doesn’t know it's us. She IS going to be dangerous. We  HAVE to  leave. This is not an option. We’ll get to L- corp  and work on the cure. The faster we leave, the less time Kar- _ the  _ _ Paleabrax _ \- has to hur t  anyone , including herself .” Lena said as she started gathering things around the room.  Lena got an idea. 

“Maggie, do you have your work stuff here with you?”

“It ' s in the hallway,” 

Lena rushed out, towards the black police bag. Unzipped the pocket inside the biggest compartment. 

Jackpot. 

She pulled out the metal that belonged to two pair of handcuffs. Not that they’d work on a  kryptonian , but it was the best they had. 

Upon entering, the situation had impossibly escalated. Maggie had to physically pull Alex back so she wouldn’t hurt herself, she was hitting and pushing her sister that hard. 

“Alex stop fighting me just- We need to leave!”

“N o ! Let! Me! Go!”

“Alex you have to think of it like its Red Kryptonite,  she’s not herself and  we can't help her without  a  cure-”

“No! Just let me go please! Please Maggie! Just help me wake her up.  She’s just sleeping okay. Come on Kara! ”

Lena got an idea. A seemingly worst-case scenario one, but what other option did they have if they weren’t able to get Alex and themselves removed from the apartment within time?

Even though  Maggie  was struggling with restraining Alex,  the detective  managed to meet Lena’s eyes who were by the door.  Useless h andcuffs hanging in her hands, amber morning light reflecting in the ir steel . But  Lena’s  eyes ,  they said something.  A silent message that  Maggie  reluctantly  understood.  She g lanced back at the numbers.  _ 09.94% _

They had  two  minutes max, until they HAD to be outside the apartment, or they would most likely be hurt.  Kara  _ was  _ going into Phase C with or without their consent. They had to focus their everything on tracking Kara when  _ not  _ close to her __ and make the antidote. And that fast.

They met eyes again. Knew what had to be done. But Maggie refused. Started shaking her head. 

_ No. I’m not doing this again.  _ _ Not again. _

_ “ _ Lena, I can’t. Not again.”

Lena bit her cheek. She needs to do it herself. She dropped the handcuffs  who were absolutely useless anyways , threw a final look on the fighting couple on the bed next to a now unconscious and  completely  still  kryptonian  who could be highly dangerous in  just  a  quick  few minutes.

Lena  left  the bedroom again. 

Went out the hallway.

Stopped.

Searched.

Saw.

Bent down.

Picked it up.

Closed a shaky fist around it. 

Took a deep breath.

She stood up. Took another breath. Went back to the door. Stepped inside.

Met Maggie’s eyes again. 

The detective took a deep breath.  Looked at Lena. Looked at the object in her hand. The object she herself held two days ago. She could still feel the object in her pocket, how shaky her fingers were then, and how shaky they were now. But the object wasn’t in her pocket anymore. It was in Lena’s hand.

Maggie c hose to not let her feelings decide her actions. They had to protect themselves. Kara wasn’t going to be in control.  _ It’s like Red Kryptonite. She just needs the cure. Think strategically.  _ _ Think smart. Lena has to do it. If Alex won’t cooperate. _

Maggie nodded. Slowly let her arms glide off her upset girlfriend, who flung herself forward in an instant, and who let out a distressed groan.  Who grabbed a fistful of light-blue cotton cardigan, and who pleaded again, that her sister  _ please _  would open her  eyes.

Alex didn’t see Lena. Maggie pretended to not see Lena. 

Lena was determined. Maggie looked away. Alex was oblivious.

**Author's Note:**

> Reviews are greatly appreciated :)


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